


Truth Seeking

by Miraculous_Lover



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Lila Rossi Redemption, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Lila does therapy, alternate universe (sort of), excuse my inability to make tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27777706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miraculous_Lover/pseuds/Miraculous_Lover
Summary: I'm new to making fanfiction on ao3 so I still have some troubles using the mechanics and such. UwU
Comments: 19
Kudos: 44





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm new to making fanfiction on ao3 so I still have some troubles using the mechanics and such. UwU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette convinces Alya to scope out Lila and her filthy lies so she can post it on the ladyblog.

“I'm telling you, Alya, Lila is manipulating everyone with her deceitful lies!” Marinette nagged. They were at the park with Manon, who was riding the carousel with some other kids while they watched from afar.

“You keep telling me this girl, but you don't have any concrete proof that she did anything you described. I believe you but what makes you think others will?” Alya objected, facepalming.

“You want proof? Hide in a bathroom stall tomorrow morning before school starts and I'll give you some proof.”

“Really? Just like that! How will you even lead her in if Lila supposedly hates you?” Alya asked, doubtful.

“You don’t need to worry about that Alya, just please do it so I can finally prove Lila isn't the angel she says she is!” Marinette insisted as Manon was coming over to them.

“Well… This would be some good content for my new blog. Okay, sure I’ll scope Lila out for you.” Alya finally agreed, typing a few things in her notes app first.

“Marinette, who's Lila?”

“Oh, Lila… is a classmate of ours.” Marinette hesitated slightly while answering.

“Do you hate her?” Manon questioned in surprise, with mild interest.

“What! No… We just have our differences, that's all.. yea!” Marinette quickly corrected the little girl. She didn’t have any problems with Lila. The only reason she wanted to do this was that Lila hates her for some unapparent reason. She’d go to any lengths to lie to everybody about Marinette to make her look bad. All Marinette was trying to do is expose her and her lies.

“Oh, Okay. Can we go on the swing now?” Manon exclaimed, uninterested in the previous topic.

“Of course we can, last one there is a rotten egg!” Alya grinned and ran to the other side of the park as Marinette and Manon chased her, trying to catch up. For now, Marinette had a different person to worry about than Lila, a more entertaining 5-year-old girl.

\---

Alya was crouched up on a toilet, waiting in a stall in the empty bathroom waiting to get her call from Marinette. As she waited there, uncomfortably shifting her squatting position, she wondered if this was a waste of time and Alya is just losing her pride. She had brought some recorders to listen in on the conversation Marinette and Lila were gonna have. Alya also told Ms. Mendeleiev she’d be a bit late for class today. She felt so bad for eavesdropping without Lila’s consent, but she believed Marinette. There is not a chance that Marinette would purposefully frame an innocent person for, lying about a wrist condition, lying about a broken leg, framing her for cheating on a test, stealing a necklace... the list goes on. 

Just as she was done testing her sound recorders she got the call from Marinette. “Alya! Hey girl, I think Lila is gonna be here soon. You have everything ready yet?” 

“Yup. I still can’t believe I’m doing this. Do you know what you’re gonna say, or are you just winging it?” She asked.

“I’ll just wing it. I’m trying to be a hundred percent genuine after all. Oh, Also don’t come out until we leave. I don’t want her to blackmail me or something if she knows you're in there.” Marinette added in concern.

“Sounds good! Let’s hope this works. See you soon then. Bye Mari!” Alya hung up so she could get ready to press record when they came in.

A few minutes later she hears the door slide open. Alya waits to hear somebody first to see if it’s them. “Anybody in here?” Lila gives a quick call and glances at the stalls. “What am I doing here, Marinette?” She hisses.

“I’ve had it with your stupid manipulation and lies, Lila. I thought we could get along but you clearly don’t want that to happen! There has to be a way we can talk this out?” Marinette didn’t sound too angry yet.

“Well there’s your problem, you were thinking! Why would I ever want to be _your_ friend?” Lila laughed menacingly.

“That’s the thing though, Lila I don’t even know why you hate me!” Marinette blurted. This definitely wasn’t like Lila to be so… disrespectful.

“Well, for starters… you stole Adrien from me.” Alya rolled her eyes at that remark.

“Okay, 1. He wasn’t yours to begin with and 2. I didn’t steal him. He said it himself... We’re just friends.” Marinette sighed at the mention of that last thing.

“Fine, but you still made Adrien hate me.” 

“I didn’t ‘make him hate you.’ He learned that you’re a compulsive liar all by himself. I don’t exactly know-how, but he's smart. I never told him anything you lied about.”

“Pffft, I wasn’t lying, they were merely fibs to deceive those dumb people you call your friends. They’re so naive.” Lila gave out a little chuckle.

“Fibs? You straight out lied about me pushing you down the stairs! Not to mention that you framed me for cheating on an important test! That was put on my school record thanks to you. All because I supposedly stole Adrien from you? That is absolutely absurd. And how dare you call my friends dumb, the only reason they fell for your lies was that you're surprisingly good at lying.” Marinette crossed her arms, offended for her friends.

“I guess now you know how far I’ll go to make sure everybody hates you. Even if I have to lie. Besides no one will ever know about them except me, and you.” Lila pointed at herself and then jabbed Marinette in the chest slightly.

“You won’t get away with this. I’ll try my best to make sure your lies are exposed.” Marinette crossed her arms again in anger.

“Oh please, who are they gonna believe? After everything, you’ve ‘done’ to me? Oh, I really don’t know what I did to make Marinette hate me, to the point where she makes up lies about me!” She held her face dramatically with a ‘sad’ face.

“I… but- ugh, I don’t even know why I tried. I’ll never get anywhere with you. Class is starting soon anyway, I’m outta here!” With that Marinette stormed out of the bathroom, earning a mischievous laugh out of Lila. After a few seconds Lila left too.

 _“Wow, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone heard them. Marinette was getting pretty angry. I can’t believe I didn’t believe her at first. I’m such a terrible friend...”_ Alya thought in guilt, as she saved her recordings and packed everything into her bag. She could still make it to class on time if she hurried.

\---

Once school was over Marinette couldn’t wait to hear the recordings and rant to Alya. She was waiting for her friends outside as usual. “Marinette! These recordings are off the chain! I can’t wait to upload it on my new blog!” Alya called, dragging Nino along with her.

“What recordings? What did Alya make you do this time Marinette?” Nino speculated.

“What! I didn’t make her do anything. She wanted to do this one all on her own. If anything she’s the one who practically insisted on it.” Alya crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

“Sure, what was it anyway?” Nino pressed, still clueless.

“I finally exposed Lila and her lies! There’s no way she’s getting out of this one now.”

“Seriously dude, you're still on Lila’s grill? You need to chillax with that girl. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“I have proof! I’m not chillaxing today, Nino. Tell him, Alya.” Marinette urged.

“Why does Marinette need to chillax?” Adrien cut in, approaching the group.

“Oh- Adrien! Hi…” Marinette greeted shyly, suddenly in a state of awkwardness.

“Because Marinette finally caught Lila red-handed, and I have proof.” Alya waved her phone out, with somewhat of a devilish smirk on her face.

“Really? That’s great Marinette! What are you gonna do with it?” Adrien wondered.

“We are going to slap this baby on my blog and watch the views go up!” Alya quickly answered instead.

“Isn't it already enough that she hates Marinette? What if Lila messes with you guys too?” Adrien hesitated. “I’m not against it, I'm just looking out for you guys.”

“You care about me? Huh?! I mean- Lila deserves what’s coming to her. Everyone needs to know what she’s capable of so that nothing bad happens.”

“I know I’m kinda out of the loop right now, but if all those things you said Lila did are true, wow I’m sorry for not believing you Marinette.” Nino chimed in.

“Who cares? Lila sucks, we’re gonna expose her, end of the story.” Alya concluded impatiently. “Let’s go get ice cream before it gets too late for Mr. Curfew over here.”

“Oh, I almost forgot! Ice cream sounds great right about now!” Marinette gushed. What a great way to celebrate their exposé on Lila. Finally, Marinette would have someone on her side other than Adrien.

\---

Marinette was minding her own business on her phone, waiting for Alya to come out of the bathroom stall. It was a few days after Alya posted her recordings and Marinette had been giddy ever since. Then suddenly someone ripped her phone from her hands and started cursing at her. “You brat! How dare you get your friend to post our conversation on her blog? Do you even know how many people saw that? Everybody hates me now! Even my teachers. I swear you are gonna regret ever crossing me!” 

“And how exactly are you gonna do that?” Alya came out of her stall with a choleric expression on her face. “You said so yourself, everybody hates you. Now I suggest you leave Marinette alone or you’re gonna make another cameo on my blog, and trust me when I say it won’t be a good one.” After groaning and cursing a bit more Lila left.

“Thank you, Alya, but you didn’t have to do that, I can handle myself.” Marinette thanked her.

“Oh please, don’t flatter yourself girl, I was just making sure she knows where she stands with me now.” She sighed.

“Well, still I was caught off guard because I’m talking to _Adrien!_ He might come over to my house so we can play video games again! Can you believe it?” Marinette told her, looking as ecstatic as ever.

“Oh no, here we go again!” Alya chuckled as she let Marinette fangirl her heart out.

**Meanwhile With Lila**

_“This isn’t fair. Everybody hates me now! Even mom knows about the stupid blog. There’s no way I’m gonna stay trapped in that dumb house while she’s at work, all alone with nothing to do for the next month. I never should have made up all those lies, what is wrong with me?”_ Lila started weeping, clutching her bag tightly to her chest.

Just as she was about to start sobbing, even more, she saw a small black butterfly float near her and shrieked. “An Akuma! I can’t trap myself in this nonsense again. All it will do is make mom even more disappointed in me.” Before she could calm herself down though it flew into her bag that she was carrying and evilized her.

“ _Truth Seeker_ , I am Hawk Moth. Your family hides the truth from you, so you lie to everyone else to hide from the painful truth. Nobody understands that, but I do. I give you the power to detect when other people lie and punish them. All you have to do for me is get Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous.”

“With pleasure, Hawk Moth.” Was the last thing Lila could hear herself say as she slowly slipped into her own mind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Lila gets akumatized, we get a glimpse of what happens in the akuma victim's minds. (How I think it happens atleast)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! ;P

It felt like only minutes before Lila finally stirred awake, and was surprised to see herself in bed but with a horrendous tacky costume that looked like she was going to a Halloween party. But October had already passed, so what was she doing with this silly costume on, and why had she suddenly woke up in her room?

"AGhh, what on earth are you two doing in my house! And who… are you?" Lila went into the living room to find two of… her selves? One of them was wearing nothing but white, neatly sitting on her sofa with her legs crossed while the other was wearing nothing but dark clothing, hogging the whole couch and slouched, continuously changing the tv channel.

"So you finally decided to wake up huh? Must be nice to have a good night's rest for once." The seemingly emo Lila chuckled, which made herself tense up quite a bit. "We're... for lack of a better word 'your personalities.' She's the personality you present yourself as and I'm your true personality. We just call each other Lawful and Laid-Back."

"So you guys know everything about me?" Lila looked at them in horror.

"Yes, exactly. For example, when Laid-back over here mentioned not being able to rest well at night, we know it is because you have nightmares about your mom and dad having an argument before he left you guys..." Lawful stated softly, her eyebrows knitted in worry as she said so, while Laid-back rolled her eyes.

Lila winced. She never once admitted that to herself, thinking it would only cause her further pain if she thought about what truly happened to her father. "Why are you two suddenly in my apartment? I don't remember what happened after... after Alya backed me off from Marinette." Lila clenched her fists in anger.

"Oh right! So... Lila listen. You've been akumatized again, and this isn't your apartment, this is your mind. It inhabited what your mind thinks is most comfortable for you, so that would be your home. You won't be able to know what is happening or what you're doing outside your mind at this very moment, but the emotions you show in here, in-turn will show in Truth Seeker. So... Here's a good way to explain it. You just got angry because of Marinette a minute ago, so Truth Seeker will be motivated by that anger to full-fill Hawk Moth and her own wishes, and act more aggressive as she battles Ladybug and Chat Noir." Lawful explained.

"So you're saying I can influence how much damage my akumatized self makes to Paris because of my emotions, but I won't be able to remember any of it?!" Lawful quietly nodded. "Oh no no no, no-no. That can't happen! I'll be humiliated by Ladybug, and I know mom won't show it, but she'll be so disappointed in me!" Lila ran to the door where you could come in and out of her apartment. Much to her dismay, the door was stuck in place, and the knob wouldn't budge.

"Let me know if you get that open. I always wondered what the rest of the inside of our body looked like." Laid-Back stood up from the sofa to look at what's inside the fridge. "Seriously though, you might as well sit tight and watch some tv or something. You're not getting out of here until Paris' awesome heroes capture your Akuma." She emphasized the word awesome sarcastically.

"Ugh! This is absurd! If it wasn't for that damned Marinette, I wouldn't be akumatized in the first place! How did she even get Alya to record that stupid confession of mine anyway, I was so close to siding that know-it-all against her goody-two-shoes friend!" Lila stomped to her bedroom and stuffed her face in the pillows.

"Careful Lila... remember the less control you have of your emotions, the stronger Truth Seeker will get. If you really don't want to stay stuck in here you need to relax and take hold of your emotions."

"Shut up! The only reason you're living in my brain is to get everyone on my side and my side only! You're just a facade. You're not real, you're nothing but a phony actress!" Lila turned around and yelled at her lawful side, then quickly went back into the comfort of her pillows.

Lawful sighed exasperatedly. "Fine... I'm only warning you, Lila. We'll be in the living room if you have any questions or concerns." Lawful stepped out into the corridor of her bedroom and went to the kitchen to make something to eat for Laid-Back.

After a while of silently contemplating her situation, Lila knew Lawful was right. The more she got angry and emotional the longer she'd be stuck in her own thoughts. She picked herself up and off the bed to go apologize to Lawful. "I'm sorry I barked at you like that, I'm just overwhelmed right now."

"You know if you think about it... it's really quite ridiculous that you're apologizing to your own personality. You must really be in an all-time low if you think she didn't already know you felt sorry for yelling at her or more accurately yourself." Laid-Back laughed heartily as she took a bite of the sandwich that had been made for her.

"Oh hush up Laid-Back! You're one to talk, if you think about it you're basically laughing at yourself right now." Lawful hissed at her other personality, giving her a death stare. "Don't worry if you want to ask me something come sit and I'll answer your questions."

"Umm... so if this is my mind, you two are the ones controlling what decisions and actions I take?" This whole situation was very much confusing to her.

"Pretty much... yeah. Whenever you're talking to your friends, classmates, family, basically when you're in any social situation, your actions are typically made by me, since you try to hide your emotions around everyone and act perfect. You were quite spot on when you said I'm a facade really, and don't worry I'm not affected by those types of hurtful comments. I'm like your wall that you put up to hide everybody from your true personality. Your decisions though are purely made by Laid-Back, even during social interactions with other people. That's why Laid-Back is so cruel and honest. She feels hurt and betrayed by mean remarks. She's basically all of your emotions put into one sloppy personality. She feels fear, jealousy, sadness, anger, hatred, empathy, and everything in between. Since you never bother to show that side to anybody, you kind of lock it away in a cage for only you to know about. It's been like that since you had a proper conscious mind to develop thoughts, emotions, memories, and such."

"Oh... I- I never really thought about it like that." So she had locked this side of herself away for almost a decade? Well if she was being honest with herself... Dad leaving really did affect her quite a bit. No matter how supportive and encouraging mom tried to be. She heard her break down into sobs as soon as she thought her little girl was asleep all those years ago when her father first left.

Those agonizing nights of pain had gotten to her, even if she hadn't been able to memorize what their arguments looked like. Lila could still hear the yelling and crying of her parents when her dad was still around. She could feel the pillow ushered into her ears and the hot tears eagerly running down her cheeks as she tried to ignore the muffled cries of her parents. The tense mornings after those fights, during breakfast when they tried pretending like nothing was wrong, but her 4-year-old self knew something was definitely wrong. The day her father never came back to them was probably the day she caged away her inner personality.

No more dad to comfort her when she had hurt herself riding her bike, or tripping off a swing. She didn't have anybody to read her bedtime stories when her mother was at work anymore. Instead, she cried herself to sleep until there were no longer any tears to cry. Once Lila was in her double digits, her mom gave her a talk. She told her that her father left because he thought mom hadn't been doing enough to support their child emotionally. She always would pack her lunch and give her as much as she wanted, but even on the weekends she barely ever spent time with her only daughter. That she always had an excuse as to why she came home late some weeks.

"Our embassy meeting was delayed,"

"I had to finish up some work I hadn't been able to complete last week," Things like that. Although there were times when she would also come home early, there were not very many, and far between.

Her mom had especially spoiled her once her father left. Her demeanor never changed, except for when Lila was younger and her father had just left them.

Tears threatened to spill onto her face as she hid them by looking at the floor. "Don't bother trying to hide your tears, Lila. Like Lawful told you... I feel your sadness and she can sense it in me." That being said, Lila quickly looked up at them and wiped her eyes with the back of her palm. Lawful gave her a sad smile and rubbed her back affectionately. Lila smiled softly in return and then closed her eyes to take a few long breaths.

“So… Now, what do I do? I’m done asking questions- I..” Lila sighed heavily before she shakily continued. “I… um don’t want to think about that stuff again, it’s only gonna make me feel like garbage again.”

“Very well, Lila. If you want to just relax and lay down in your room to relax your brain a little, that should be more than okay.” Lawful smiled reassuringly and stood up herself.

Once Lawful was finally away from view, she hesitantly stood up from the sofa and trudged her way to her room. Lila only laid there unsure of how to fall asleep when she was in her mind and sleeping wasn’t exactly something you could do but rather something you feel about to happen. Slowly her mind drifted off to who knows where and all that Lila could register were the beats of her heart pulsing all throughout her body. She was just in a void of black now doing nothing. Finally, she suddenly heard her heartbeat quicken and she was finally conscious again.

\---

“Pound it!” The superhero duo said in unison while fist-bumping.

Lila woke up to be knelt by the Place des Vosges fountain. “Augh… I was akumatized, right?” She asked no one in particular as she got up hurriedly. Chat Noir didn’t hesitate to notice how puffy and rosy her eyes were, with bags to go underneath them. It looked like she had been… crying? Adrien had never seen Lila cry actual tears.

“Um- yeah.” Chat Noir confirmed sheepishly. “Are you okay, getting yourself home?”

“Yea, whatever. I’ll be fine, it’s not like you guys should care anyway..” Lila mumbled but he could definitely hear the shaking in her voice. Whatever or whoever caused her akumatization really put a toll on Lila, he kinda felt bad for her. He stared a bit longer towards the direction Lila was going.

“Don’t waste your worry on her, Chat. She’s nothing but an actress who wants attention.” Ladybug huffed in irritation.

“Did you see her face LB? Her eyes had bags under them and they were puffy… it looked like she was crying.” Ladybug’s look of annoyance softened into that of guilt. “I’m gonna go carry her the rest of the way home, she isn’t in any condition to walk home right now.” Ladybug gave a simple nod and left the other direction.

As much as Adrien hated how Lila acted, he can’t just sit back and let her suffer physically, she was probably already suffering enough mentally from all this backlash from the Ladyblog. He told Alya it wasn’t a good idea to post it directly to the Ladyblog, but she was too stubborn to convince. Part of him could see the guilt in her expressions from all those times she had never listened to Marinette and didn’t want to interfere any longer than he had, besides he knew better than anybody that Lila deserved it but it still doesn’t make it any more right. For all they knew, Lila had a reason she spits all these lies without good reason but ‘because she wanted to.’ Maybe it’s the only way she can express herself, or maybe she has some kind of medical reason. Finally approaching her, he picked up Lila bridal style and hopped onto a roof, and continued to run towards her apartment.

“Hey! Let me go... I told you I can walk home myself!” Lila struggled from his grip but it was too strong.

“Lila… you can’t walk home like this. You need to rest and walking too much will only make you more exhausted.”

“Ugh… Fine. But I’m suing if you drop me and I end up in a hospital bed.” Lila rolled her eyes and silently let him carry her.

...

The air felt so thick, it was almost as if he could touch it. So Chat settled for breaking the silence with a question. “So- uh... Why were you crying?”

“That’s none of your business.” Lila hissed and turned her head so that she wasn’t facing him anymore.

“It’s okay… you don’t have to tell me. I was just wondering why you got akumatized in the first place and noticed your eyes are puffy.” Lila sighed long and hard and he could feel her breath begin to shake. Had he pushed her too far?

With another breath, this time it was smaller, she began. “It’s because… I realized I have no real friends. Nobody likes me anymore and it’s all Marine-” Lila tensed up and spoke again. “It’s because of some stupid girl at my school who is too smart for her own good. M-Maybe I also was partly to blame, but she’s the one who got me so worked up! If it wasn’t for her and her dumb nerd friend, I wouldn’t be akumatized in the first place.”

“What exactly happened?” Chat asked her hesitantly. He knew Marinette or Alya would never purposefully make someone cry, but maybe they influenced it by posting the confession on the Ladyblog.

“After Alya posted the conversation me and Marinette had in the school bathroom, I was so angry so I tried picking on Marinette again to make sure she knew I wasn’t over their silly little expose but Alya came in and ruined everything.” Oh yeah, that made a bit more sense. They were nearing her apartment building so he slowed his pace a bit so she wouldn’t accidentally fall out of his hands. “Then I was just walking in the hall, with my own thoughts and I started thinking about…” Something must have hit a nerve because Lila abruptly ended her sentence and began a new one. “We’re basically at my apartment now, just let me walk the rest of the way!”

He couldn’t argue, so he gently placed her down on the pavement and he just watched as she entered the building. Chat Noir’s ring started beeping again and quickly ran into an alleyway that was tucked away from the street view. For now, he has a video game date to go to with Marinette. Maybe he could ask her about what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not used to how much space the ao3 format gives me so if the chapters seem short... well they probably are but hopefully, that'll change as I continue to write! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien go on a 'date' when she finally gets the courage to tell him how she feels about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, There'll be some more of Lila next part, I just need to figure out how I'm gonna tell the story! (Also I kinda just wanted to write some adrienette fluff ;P)  
> Enjoy! <3

“Yes, I finally won!” Adrien threw a fist in the air. They had played 5 games before this and he hadn’t won a single one of them, until now. This made Marinette break into a fit of giggles, and he unconsciously blushed in embarrassment. “I guess we know who's better at video games… huh?” He rubbed his neck and smiled.

“W-What! I mean sure you could use some practice, but... you were one of the first few contenders in the gaming competition! You must have some mad skill if you made it _that_ far, don’t you think?” Marinette blurted.

“I guess you’re right…” Adrien held his chin in thought.

“Oh, dears! Do you want a snack, your father and I made some Éclairs, Croissants, and we even brought some leftover Macaroons? Don’t worry Marinette, once you guys are done you can get right back to your date!” Adrien’s mouth was practically drooling when he saw the tray of assorted pastries and how good they smelled as Tom came up from the trap door and set the tray gently down on Marinette’s _chaise_. 

“Thanks, Tom, Sabine!” He nodded at both of them with a bright smile.

“Erm- um... T-Thank you guys!” Marinette gulped, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of red. “S-So uh… do you want me- my- I mean… do you want to eat some pastries?” Marinette gave him a slanted smile and it made him chuckle.

“Sure, some snacks sound good right about now.” They both got up and sat on the opposite ends of the _chaise_. “Did you make any of these? They’re really good!” Adrien asked her as he munched on a croissant.

“Oh..Yea! I made some of the Éclairs and Macaroons. I couldn’t make that many because I was busy and had to go- uh... do homework and some other stuff.” She glanced at her purse that was hanging on the bed railing and then smiled back at him. “You know… like sewing and finishing up some album covers for Jagged.”

“Oh cool! That’s understandable. Mmmm, these Éclairs are really good too! I think I’d just end up burning them if I ever tried to bake.” He reached over to try the mentioned pastry Marinette made and closed his eyes while he enjoyed it. 

“Haha, yeah I mean we could show you how to make some stuff- uh that is if you want to of course! I’m sure you’re already super busy as it is.” Marinette tilted her head a little as if she wanted an answer to her suggestion.

“Yeah! That sounds awesome, Marinette! I’ll ask Nathalie if I can come over another time, I don’t know that much about baking, but with you there I’m sure we’ll make some delicious stuff.”

“Sure, totally!” Marinette sighed happily and seemingly drifted into her thoughts. They both landed for the same Macaroon and laid her hand on his which stirred her from her thoughts. “Eeeep!! S-Sorry! I was uh... distracted.” She gave his hand the quickest of squeezes before releasing and Adrien could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat at the touch. Paying it no mind, he picked up the Macaroon and began to eat it as he did so.

“Who’re you texting?” Adrien noticed her bring out her phone and type a few quick messages.

“Oh, it’s just Alya,” Marinette confirmed without looking up and she seemed a lot more relaxed now. “I make pastries all the time, and since I eat plenty of them as it is, I thought I’d talk to her for a bit while I wait for you to finish.”

“Oh, that reminds me! Um- you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but…” He hesitated, looking for the right words, and then continued. “I heard Lila got akumatized. Do you know what happened?”

“Funny you should ask… I was just talking about that with Alya.” She rolled her eyes. “At first I thought she was akumatized on purpose, just so she could pretend to be the victim or something like that… but now I think what Alya said really got to her, I feel a bit bad for what she said now.”

“What did Alya say?” Adrien knitted his brows curiously.

“Oh. I think she said something about ruining Lila’s reputation some more with her blog.” 

“That’s a bummer. Still, what if she had a personal reason for why she lies all the time. Maybe she can’t control it or it’s some kind of medical condition.”

“I guess you’re right… I seriously doubt she ‘can’t control it’ though. Remember when she miraculously told some other mumbo jumbo so I could return to school? And even if that's the case somehow, it still doesn’t change how much she lied and manipulated all our friends, I could never forgive her for that!” Marinette snapped, her jaw tensing up.

“Yeah, and like you mentioned before she hurt you too. I’m glad you know how to smell stinky cheese from good cheese. You’re really smart.” He smiled at her, trying to calm her down a little with a pun. He’d never really seen her this worked up before, with the exception of how she talked to everyone about Lila. 

“Um… Thank you?” Her eyes crinkled up with her smile, and tilted her head, and laughed heartily. “That was such a lame pun though.”

“Hey! I thought it was pretty good.” He pouted. Marinette’s face turned a bit pink and she looked away. “Why _did_ you get suspicious of Lila anyway?” Adrien asked, hoping that question would relax her a bit more. Instead, it did the exact opposite and her face got even more flushed.

“W-Well… you see um- I got wary of Lila because…” Her expression turned from nervousness to determination and sighed. “Because… I-I was jealous of her.” Marinette gulped and although her demeanor was still determined she seemed a little nervous.

“Jealous? Why were you jealous of her?”

“Because-she-was-hanging-out-with-you-and-I-have-a-crush-on-you!” Marinette quickly blurted out, at this point her whole face was red, she tightly closed her eyes, and clenched her fists beside her head even tighter.

Adrien’s eyes grew big and you could barely even see his eyebrows behind his bangs anymore. His face too was also beginning to heat up and turn rosy pink, but his lips still managed to curl up into a smile. Marinette’s eyes were still shut tight, he couldn’t put his finger on as to why but Adrien just wanted to give her a nice big hug to comfort her, and so that’s exactly what he did. 

It was honest news to him that she had a crush on him. She never really acted all lovey-dovey like Chloe or any of the other girls who liked him because of his brand, she was a bit jumpy around him but… Oh, OH! Huh… he just assumed she was like that because of the rough start they had when they first met. Adrien could never have even imagined that it was because she had a _crush_ on him! In his defense, he had known her to hold grudges for people she didn't like, especially for Lila and Chloe, so he didn't think it would be any different for himself.

Adrien broke away from his thoughts when he felt Marinette gently squeezed him. Oh right, they were still hugging. "Adrien… you’re-"

"Whoops, sorry! I'm so sorry!" He could feel the warmth of Marinette against him fade and wished she was back in his arms.

"I… I don't really know what to do now." Marinette cleared her throat and chuckled. "If I had known you were gonna be this happy I would have confessed my love to you a long time ago." 

Adrien felt his face heat at this remark. Did he seem that eager? _"Ugh, snap out of it, Adrien! She's the one who just confessed her feelings to you. You're not supposed to be the flustered one!"_ He nagged at himself. Gulping, Adrien picked himself out of his mind. “We can um… m-maybe bake some pastries as a second date? Y-Y’know, like what we were talking about before…?”

“A second- a second date? I… I didn’t know you would think of _this_ as a date since we were just playing video games haha…” Marinette made a shy gesture with her two index fingers and laughed awkwardly. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since you treat me a lot different than any other girls.”

“Differently? Differently how?! Oh no, did I do say or do something wrong, ugh- I’m terrible with social cues…” Adrien closed his eyes in thought. 

“No-no! You didn’t do anything wrong, don’t worry, Adrien! I just meant it in a good way. I don’t really know how to describe it, you’re just more… open with me I guess. You never really talk about personal things with anyone else, not just girls. Like say, Nino, but I kind of know a few more things, like when we went to the movies to see a movie your mom was in…” Marinette paused for a moment, her eyes worried. “We- we don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to, sorry.”

“It’s fine, I’m okay with it as long as you are too.” He gave her a reassuring smile to ease her worries. “Seriously, Marinette. I don’t mind at all.”

“Um… I don’t wanna make you feel uncomfortable, let’s just clean up and we can play a few more rounds of Mecha Strike. That sound good?” Before he could even answer she stood up and picked up the tray and gave it a little cleanup. “I’m gonna go return this to my parents, feel free to make yourself at home. I won’t be long!” Marinette climbed down her trap door, leaving himself alone. In Marinette’s room. 

He stood up and brushed the crumbs off his clothes. He looked around admiring the scenery and how cute her room looked. She was obviously into fashion designing like she mentioned plenty of times before. A mannequin was propped up beside the stairs that led up to her bed, and she had a sewing machine on the side of her desk. He walked over to her desk to take a better look at it. It looked pretty worn out, she must use it a lot. Turning to the side of the desk where Marinette’s computer monitor stood, the screen was black now because they had been away from it for a while. Adrien grabbed the mouse and gave it a little swirl for the monitor to light back on. He sat down in one of her chairs and pulled out his phone until she returned.

“So what are you gonna do about that confession, lover boy?” Plagg prodded his owner, chuckling mischievously.

“I don’t know Plagg, Marinette is an amazing girl, but…” He hesitated.

“But you still love Ladybug.” Plagg rolled his eyes. “Kid, you already agreed to go on another date with her, and also you assumed this was a date? That obviously means you thought about _something_ with her.” Plagg urged.

“You’re right… She’s just so- so… breathtaking. I can’t explain it but, but... I like Marinette.” Adrien had to admit, as much as he and LB had grown their bond, she had still always declined him whenever he mentioned something romantic between the two. Maybe it was better if he just tried to get over her. Of course, it would be tricky, but he would be willing to try for the sake of Marinette. He couldn’t reject her because, well if he was being honest, he didn’t _want_ to. What he wanted was to make Marinette happy, and she was happy around him, and he was happy- no, _ecstatic_ around her.

“I’m back!” Marinette popped out from the trap door and gave him a big smile as she climbed up. Adrien jumped and then suddenly felt Plagg go back into his shirt.

“I see your checking- oh. nothing? Oh, I see, you’re admiring how handsome you look.” She winked. Adrien flushed and looked down at his phone to see that it had turned off. Wow, he sure was deep in his thoughts...

“Uhm… haha, no I was… uh- just thinking about something. I guess I was really wrapped up in it.” He grinned sheepishly, his cheeks heating up a little. 

“Oh… okay. Wanna start now?” Marinette asked him, a glint of curiousness in her eyes from the previous topic. 

“Start…?” Adrien knitted his brows.

“The game.” She smiled and gave him an ever more curious look and put one of the controllers in his hand. 

“Oh! Right, the game. Yeah!” He held the controller and put his game face on. “It’s game time now and I’m gonna actually try now. Those other rounds were just warm-ups.” Adrien winked at her which made her blush a bit.

“Uh-huh… ‘warm-ups’ okay, totally.” Her eyes narrowed and she nodded playfully.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her mom discovers the truth about what Lila has gotten herself into, she insists on taking her daughter to therapy, where Lila discovers it's not as bad as she might have once thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to leave your support in the comments!

“I’m sorry, sweetheart but It’s for your recovery.” Mrs. Rossi was parked outside of some kind of street building, holding the car door out for Lila. There were also some shops within the building, a cafe, and a bookstore.

“Mom, I’m fine. I don’t need to see a therapist, why can’t I just go to school? I’ll be doing a lot more there.” Lila gave her mother big sad eyes and held her hands together below her chin.

“This is for your own good, _mia bella_. If you don’t want to talk about this stuff with me, you have to talk about it with an expert. Please? For me?”

“Fine… I’m only doing it once.” She sighed in defeat and got out of the car. Lila tried to hide all those things that had happened to her for as long as she could, but even her mom used the internet enough to know something was off. Eventually, her mom asked her about the akumatizations and she couldn’t keep the front up much longer. Her mom had been very worried about her safety and grounded her for a few weeks. Once that was finally over and done with her misery apparently still wasn’t. How was she supposed to work her way out of this one? Maybe she should actually… no. No, that’s ridiculous, she vowed to never talk about it ever again. Sure she _loves_ attention but not when it’s about something as personal as that.

Lila and her mom walked into the waiting room. She saw her mom go up to the counter and say something. She didn’t want to take another step into this boring dentist’s office. It _wasn’t_ a dentist’s office, but it might as well have been since it was so boring and small. As you walked in, there were coffee tables with magazines and books and comfortable-looking armchairs below the windows that faced the check-in counter. The counter was rounded and had a few monitors on it. There were a couple of chairs behind it for the desk workers to sit and right behind those were a wall with a sign that read, “Thérapies D'Adolescents” how fitting, she rolled her eyes. There were two doorways besides the check-in one on the left that had a sign on the window, “Staff only” and the other door on the right had a sign of office hours, so she assumed that was where she’d be led to her appointment. 

Just as she expected, her mom waved her over to the door on the right where a woman stood smiling at her and nodded her head into the hallway. “Thank you, Ms. Rossi. You can come to pick up your daughter again in an hour.”

“ _Ciao, mia bella._ I’ll see you later, I love you.” They exchanged waves before her mom left the building.

“Nice to meet you, darling. Your name is Lila, right?” The woman asked her as she led her into an office with two arms chairs, a ‘shrink’ sofa, and a desk on the other side of the room.

“Yes.” She said briefly. Lila didn’t feel like getting to know some random stranger who she’d probably never see again. If anything she just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

“Well, I’m Dr. Eleanor Archambeau, but if you want you can call me Eleanor, or Elle for short.” Lila hesitantly took a seat on one of the armchairs and looked around idly. She had a couple of degrees hanging on the walls and some picture frames of a husband and what seemed to be some siblings.

“Do you want to talk about anything, in particular today?” Eleanor asked her patiently, typing something onto her laptop that was set on her desk.

“Um… not really. My mom wanted me to come here because I’ve been akumatized a few times, and she’s worried about me or whatever.” Lila slumped a bit farther into the chair. It was actually more comfortable than she thought.

“Oh, okay! You don’t have to talk about anything just yet if you don’t want to. If you want we can watch a movie or listen to some music. I have a projector, right here so we can get comfortable on the sofa.” She pointed to a shelf and stood up to go grab it. Hmm… something about this woman made her feel comfortable. Not comfortable enough to talk about… her dad yet, but she put her mind at ease.

“Yea, sure. Can I pick the movie?” Eleanor nodded happily and gave her a few to choose from. She picked one of the Disney movies because it reminded Lila of the bedtime stories her father would tell her when he tucked her in at night. It was one of the shorter ones so they’d be able to finish it this session, she purposefully picked one that was rather sad too. She wasn’t really paying attention either way. Lila was thinking about how to get back at Marinette for taking all her attention from her. There was no way that girl was getting away with it, not if _she_ had anything to say about it. Once everyone knew about Lila’s little scandals, they ignored her or barely ever talked to her anymore. When she tried to smooth talk them, some of them gave her their sympathy and gave her some no good advice on telling the truth from now on. She didn’t _need any advice. She didn’t need_ any help. All she needed was someone to talk to, but clearly, they don’t know how to be that. Alya was a good person… she wouldn’t admit it out loud but sometimes Alya would make her smile a real smile. Not one of her sheltered smiles but a true, and genuine smile. She didn’t dare laugh genuinely. Only her dad could have made her do that, or maybe… Adrien, but now he doesn’t trust her all because she got some of his attendants in trouble? That’s not even fair, doesn’t he believe in a second chance? She felt a hand wipe at her face and rushed out of her thoughts.

“Are you alright, Lila? Something wrong?” Eleanor had wiped a tear from her face. Oh, she had teared up? That was embarrassing… but she didn’t dare show it.

“W-What? Oh! It’s just- this movie always puts me to tears… it’s very sad, don’t you agree?” Lila took the tissue away from Eleanor and dramatically dabbed at her eyes with it.

“Yes… yes it is quite sad, but are you sure that’s all it was, dear? You know you can talk to me about whatever you want to, I’m here for you after all. Anything and everything you tell me will be between us.” She took Lila’s hands and gave them an encouraging squeeze.

“How do I know you’re not lying? For all, I know you could tell my mom about all our conversations.” Lila huffed, unsure of if she wanted to let everything out of her cage to a woman she had just met.

“Honey, I couldn’t tell her even if I wanted to. It’s called Doctor-Patient Confidentiality. The only reason I can think of right now that would break that law is if you’re being abused at home, but that seems very unlikely with a mother as sweet as yours. If you’re still not ready to tell me anything yet that is _completely_ fine. You can take as long as you need to tell me anything you need to get off your chest.”

Lila thought back to what her mom said just this morning, _"If you don't want to talk about this stuff with me, you have to talk about it with an expert. Please?"_

It's not that she didn’t want to talk about it with her mom, if anything her mom knows better than maybe even herself that her father leaving left them both emotionally strained. That was exactly why she didn’t feel like she could though, Lila didn’t want her mom to go through all that again, she probably felt so guilty. Maybe she even thought Lila’s dad leaving was her fault, but it wasn’t! At least not in Lila’s eyes, she just thought her mom worked really hard so she could provide for her family, for her _daughter_. Especially since her dad’s situation was rather… inconvenient to say the least. Best not tell Eleanor just yet. Not until she was fully comfortable with talking about this.

“Okay, sure. I’m fine with that, I just need some time to think about it first.” Lila straightened and smiled weakly at the woman. “Oh! Would you look at the time, our session is already over! Wow, time sure does fly by fast!” Lila looked up at a clock behind Eleanor's desk and sighed, trying to give her the best look of disappointment as she shrugged.

“My, my, you’re right! I must be getting my next client soon. Now that you’ve thought about it for a bit longer, do you want to have weekly sessions? I can ask my assistant to put you in for the same time next week if you’d like?” Eleanor asked politely as she stood up with Lila and showed her out the door herself.

Did she want to do this again? Lila had to admit, she could get used to the idea of talking about just herself for a whole hour. No having to put up a front and act as she cared about all those people's problems and lives. Well… that sounded kind of rude. It’s not that she didn’t care about them it’s just that-

The problem was… herself. She had plenty more to worry about than to listen to how awesome and perfect Mylene and Ivan were for each other. To hear about the perfect duo Marc and Nath were making comics together. How Alya absolutely adored Nino and his personality. She didn’t care about any of that because- because she didn’t have anyone to talk about it with. Not to mention she already has a bunch of emotional exhaustion piled up inside her like a dirty room filled with mountains of laundry. Lila just could not afford to pile some clean laundry to make her room _seem_ cleaner, but in reality, it was nothing but a trash dump. She hated, absolutely _hated_ that she stored everything about everyone she cared about in a lifeless cage never to be opened or see the light of day. Sure, she could try to look for the key and slowly recover from her father's disappearance, but that would come with a heavy load of emotions she wasn’t sure she wanted to let out. 

Maybe she’d take it slow. She’d only open up to two people she knew would never judge her. Mom, and… what was that woman's name again? Oh yeah, Eleanor. Lila wasn’t _exactly_ sure she could trust this woman just yet, but she seemed happy to listen and didn’t really care if Lila even talked in the first place, probably because she was getting paid either way. Which made her feel no such pressure to ‘let it all out’ like movies have portrayed therapists to do. Well, at least not as much as she thought previously. Then it was settled, she'd talk about her dad with mom as soon as she was available. Mom was probably at work so there was no rush to tell her any such compromising things that would make her hate Lila, but she did need to think of something to say before her mom got home. So that’s exactly what she would do.

“Um… yea. Sure. That would be fun, I guess.” Lila shifted her weight as she waited for her mom to arrive.

“Amazing! See you next week then, I enjoyed this time to get to know you, Lila!” Eleanor greeted her goodbye as she called for someone else’s name that was sitting in the waiting room and followed her into the hallway. She wasn’t exactly putting in the effort to get to know Eleanor… which made her feel guilty. That she was probably gonna pour her heart out to that woman sooner than later… maybe she could ask about the husband she glanced at on her way into her office.

Lila sat down in the waiting room and pulled out her phone. She had a new voice message. She clicked play and listened to the voice message that was bound to be from her mom.

[Mom: Hey, Lila! I’m still held up at work for a while. Let me know when you’re done in there. I could come to pick you up when you’re done. Love you tons!] 

The voice message ended with a few kissing noises and then went silent. Of course. Typical mom, getting caught up at work. Lila stood up and left the building. As she walked back home she called her mom, not expecting her to answer but so that she could instead leave a voice message back.

[Mom: Hi, this is Mrs. Rossi. I can’t come to the phone right now, leave a message!]

Lila waited for the beeping sound to play then began. “Hi, mom! I’m out of that therapy session. No need to leave work to come to get me though. I’ll just walk home! It’s not too far away anyway. Thanks anyway, love you.” She hit the save button and was on her merry way. Once she was home she was sure to tell her mom about how she felt about everything that happened to her- to both of them.

  
  


\---

  
  


_Urgh!_ Did she really have to talk about all this stuff with mom? Lila supposed the first step to communicating with her was to _literally_ talk to her. That was easier said than done though. Normally she would just sweet talk her way out of everything, but that wasn’t possible anymore after Alya’s blog. After mom had read it and figured out all those things she had said about Adrien being her boyfriend, and other nonsense she had fibbed her way out of wasn’t true she grounded her for lying to her, especially because of her safety. Which was understandable but still slightly unfair to Lila.

“Mom… are you done with work for the day?” Lila sighed deeply and sat down on the couch. Mrs. Rossi just got off the phone and set her purse down on the kitchen counter.

“Oh yes, darling. I have the whole rest of the day off now. Why is something wrong?” Lila’s mom expressed with concern as she left towards the bathroom for a bit.

“No… nothing like that. I just thought maybe we could- talk. Ya know? Mother-daughter bonding… I guess.” Lila scratched her head unsure if she really wanted to do this. She stood up and dug around under the sofa cushions to look for the remote while she waited for her mother to come out of the bathroom. What if this ended in an argument? Or worse, what if Lila got grounded because she was being too noisy or something? Of course, up until then, nothing like that had ever happened and she was grateful her mother loved her that much to give her a reasonable amount of freedom. She gulped and hoped for the best as she heard her mom's footsteps come out of the bathroom, her hair was now out of the bun, and makeup was, for the most part, cleaned off.

“Oh. That sounds lovely dear! What do you wanna talk about? I’m all ears!” Mrs. Rossi took off her shoes and laid them out in the hallway beside Lila’s shoes. Once finally comfortable enough, she sat beside her daughter on the sofa and waited patiently for her to continue the conversation.

What _did_ she want to talk about? Might as well start with… dad. “Hmm… You know I don’t blame you for dad leaving us right?” Lila placed a hand on her mother’s, which was safely in her lap. Mrs. Rossi’s face fell and she felt her straighten at the mention of her dad just the slightest.

“Well… yea. I know. I’m sorry about that, if I would have known that would have happened I would have stayed with you guys more…” Mrs. Rossi squeezed her daughter's hand and her head leaned down in guilt.

“I know mom… I just want you to know I don’t blame you at all. You had to provide for us somehow, and it sure didn’t help that dad didn’t even have a stable job to support a _kid_.” Lila knitted her brows slightly in anger. She couldn’t be angry at him for following his dreams as a photographer, she had to admit she loved being able to see all the old pictures he would take of her and it would always light up her day when she came across a few old photos of her little toddler-self back in the day.

“Your father shouldn’t be put fully to blame though. How could he have known his photography wasn’t going to sell well at first. It was what he loved, and if no one else appreciated his amazing talent that’s not his problem. We weren’t planning on having a kid until he really got a start on his career anyway, we couldn’t have known I was going to get pregnant with you that early.” Her mother’s face softened and she could tell her mom still loved dad. Not that she could blame her mom. Dad was quite the charmer and his personality shone brighter than the sun. That was what she missed most about him. He cared so much for them, but he hated to see his little girl’s face curl in disappointment when he got a call from her mom saying she had to stay late tonight to finish some work her coworker asked to help her with. She knew he meant well when he left, maybe so her mother would finally realize she needed to take care of her daughter, but that didn’t have to mean leaving them… Mom _was_ the one paying most of the bills after all. That wasn’t entirely his fault but it had to be said nonetheless.

“You still love him, don’t you? It’s okay you know.” Lila left her mother's hand and went in for a small hug instead. 

“How could I not? Even after all this time and the betrayal… I miss and still love him _so_ much.” For the first time in nearly a decade, she saw her mother start crying and all she could do to comfort her was embrace her as tightly as she could.

“I- I’m so sorry mom… I shouldn’t have brought it up. I just… I just- thought maybe we could talk about it since we never really talk about anything except how long you’ll be gone for work or leave voice messages.” Lila felt the guilt build up within her. All she wanted was for her and her mom to have a normal conversation. She didn’t want to bring back burned love that her mother still held close to her heart… if it wasn’t for Lila- her mom would still be happy with her dad. Neither of them would have to be burdened with having a child and wouldn’t have to break up because of her. _Both_ of her parents would be happy if she just never exis-

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart, I’m glad you had the courage to want to open up to me. That’s all a mother could ask for. I’m glad you want to talk things out. I’m at fault for spending too much time at work, and not enough time with _you._ It’s not your fault _at all_ sweetheart.” Mrs. Rossi reached out and squeezed Lila so tightly she almost felt light-headed. “Thank you, Lila.”

Lila sat there with her mom for a while in their embrace. This was the attention she craved for. The love she needed. The memories- everything, it all came back in a tsunami, and Lila couldn’t help but cry into her mother's shoulders, reliving those painful memories of her father leaving them again until she had no more tears left to drip onto her mom. She might not have any closure yet… but at least she had a start. Lila was okay with that, as long as she could build from this talk. She had a bunch of things racing through her mind.

Could she blame her mom for loving the man that left them? No, absolutely not. She could never do that, because… Lila still loved her dad too. It was like how her mother said. How could she not? They might have ended on bad terms, but at least she could still remember that kind, charming, hilarious, caring father she knew and _oh so_ loved. It was no wonder mom still loved dad.

How would this talk set the stage for future conversations about her inner turmoil? Would she find the key to her cage that has been hidden in the dark for so long? It was all too much for her and she didn’t know if any of her questions would be answered. Lila would have to wait and see.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila's secret is out, everyone at school knows she goes to therapy, which doesn't concern her as she decides to focus on herself and getting better. She isn't quite there yet, but she makes decent growth.

“I do feel bad for exposing her like that…” Marinette _despised_ Lila, but Cat Noir hadn’t been joking when he told her Lila didn’t look too good. It had been about a week and there were already rumors going through-out the whole school saying that people had spotted Lila at _therapy_ after school. The fact that she had had mysterious excuses as to why she wasn’t at school one day specifically those previous weeks further proved that the rumor was true! This only filled her guilt, even more, when she realized that the only others who didn't _completely_ hate Lila after her whole fiasco were Chat and herself… although Marinette’s anger was still mildly there for her own obvious reasons.

"Why? Serves her right for manipulating us all like that! She lied to every single person in our class and jeopardized our trust in _you!_ How could I ever forgive some devious, malice, attention-seeking, liar like that?" 

"I take it we're talking about Lila?" Nino stepped in curiously, which immediately put Alya slightly more at ease when he came in for a hug.

"I'm just saying Alya, Lila might be going through something which probably caused her to behave the way she did..." Marinette frowned, unsure of how to word herself. She couldn’t be saying anything too intimate about Lila because… as guilty as she felt to think about it, Marinette was the first person to ever call out Lila before she was exposed. Which meant she couldn't exactly _pity_ Lila, that would make her really suspicious, considering she was the first person to ever call Lila out on her attention-seeking lies. What her knowledge of Lila really was? Well, she knew Lila hadn't purposefully akumatized herself this time. From what she gathered from Chat Noir the week before, Lila also had seemed to be going through a lot at home and had admitted to feeling pretty alone.

"Pffft," Alya rolled her eyes. "Why are you always so ambiguous? One minute you're trying to expose Lila and another minute you feel sorry for her?" How could she respond to that without revealing too much…? Oh! There was _one_ way.

"Yea… I know, I know. It's just- um, Like I said when I was talking with Lila, I didn’t know how Adrien knew at the time, but he and I were the only ones who knew just what she was capable of doing. That's why I kind of took it to heart when Adrien told me not to humiliate her in front of you all because making the bad guy suffer never turns them into good guys, right? Except I started thinking… what if she actually is hurting? I talked to Adrien more about it and he said the way he figured Lila out was when he was ‘helping’ her with her homework, she completely lied to Nathalie and The Gorilla about his grades. He apparently also found out because of Ladybug. He said Lila seems kind of… lonely? Maybe that's why she lies like that, and it would also explain why Lila started going to therapy… don't you think?" Marinette scratched her chin nervously and shrugged.

"Hmm… that-" Alya hesitated for a moment thinking on the spot with this newfound knowledge. "That actually could be true! I might have to research this more, but- it still doesn’t change what she did to all of us." She crossed her arms doubtfully but then her eyes lit up with determination. “I could totally get Ladybug to help me! I need to find out about the things Lila did, what happened to her and the secrets she lied about! No doubt LB knows about some of them, I could even get Chat Noir to help too!” Alya pulled out her phone and started typing furiously.

“Haven’t we already exposed her though? Why do you want to find out more about her, don’t you think we’ve already done enough, as much as I would _love_ to crush her, she’s still human, she can get crushed just as much as we can.”

“While you’re not wrong, that’s not what I meant. I _mean_ I’m gonna try to find the truth about why Lila is like the way she is. I know I get really defensive and antagonize Lila, but it’s only because I feel really betrayed… she was actually not that bad of a person if you get past all the manipulation and lies she told, and I was… to say the least, surprised to find out about it.” Alya’s face fell for a moment but continued. “That’s why I want to get to the bottom of why she lies, that way I'll have some more perspective. I could even help her if her reasons are justifiable enough. From my previous conversations with her before I stopped being her friend, I realize it’s because she loves attention. Now I just got to figure out why she wants that attention…” She went back to her phone and you could see the persistence within her face.

" _Anyway_ , dudettes. Did you know, I finally got another DJ gig and I get to work with none other than…” Nino gave a small drum roll and you could tell he was bursting with excitement, which seemed to show in Alya and Marinette too once they heard who it was he was working with. “Clara Nightingale!"

“Clara Nightingale?” The girls chirped in unison. Alya would have almost dropped her phone from surprise as they both looked at Nino in awe.

“You heard right! She’s having a concert in a couple of weeks at the Eiffel Tower and apparently, I got some mad skill and she wanted me to play as the DJ.” Nino rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously.

“Of course you got mad skills, congrats, Nino!” Marinette enthused and gave Nino a hug, which was interrupted by Alya, who made them all topple over in a big embrace.

“I can’t believe it, I’m so proud of you, Nino! When is it again? My mom is having a hotel event in like a week, so I might have to free a few things up. This is so exciting, I can’t wait to see you there!” Alya chuckled a little as she stood up and helped them up too.

Nino chuckled and blushed slightly. "Thanks, Al. I really appreciate your encouragement, it means a lot." He cooed at her and kissed her cheek.

“Barf, get a room, you guys!” Marinette mocked teasingly and giggled a little. Of course, she was happy for her friends. They were so adorable, she just felt a bit embarrassed for being the third wheel sometimes.

“You're just salty because you don’t have the guts to ask Adrien out yet.” Nino playfully bumped shoulders with Marinette and chuckled.

“Oh. My. Gosh. I completely forgot to ask you about that, Marinette! Did you know she actually _did_ ask Adrien out?!” Alya burst out, her eyes were excited.

“Well… it was technically _him_ who asked _me_ out. Sure I was the one who wanted to play video games together- but like, I didn’t even think of that as an _official_ date, well… at least not yet. Ya know?” Marinette bit her lip nervously and smiled. “Then I got the perfect opportunity to tell him and was determined to tell him about- you know, my feelings for him… so I did it. It was a little awkward for a bit but then he said we could go on a _second_ date.”

“Even better! Are you hearing this Nino? She finally told him! I told you he would see how amazing you are, you had nothing to worry about, girl!” Alya praised cheerfully.

"Awesome, I knew my dude would realize how much you mean to him eventually! He's had a crazy crush on Ladybug since forever, I didn’t think he would ever get over her." Nino hesitated a moment before nervously rubbing his neck. “He would die of embarrassment if he ever knew I told you guys, so keep it on the low, okay?”

Marinette’s eyes almost popped out of her sockets and one of her eyes twitched a little. “He- He had a crush on… on- _Ladybug?_ ” She had to refrain from saying ‘ _me?’_

“A crush? Nah, forget that. The dude was practically _in love_ with her.” He chuckled a little and smiled. “Between us, I think she likes him too.” Nino winked. “You can’t blame her, he is a pretty cool dude.”

Marinette had no idea how to feel about this. On one hand, she was _ecstatic_ about this, on the other she felt like an _absolute_ fool for not seeing it before. Adrien liked her, he actually _liked_ her. No, scratch that. Apparently, according to Nino, he was _head over heels_ for her! She shrank into her bag and her face flushed crimson.

“ _Girl_ , don’t tell me you're jealous?” Alya snickered, unable to contain herself, which only made Marinette feel more self-conscious. Of course, she couldn’t be jealous of _herself_ , but she played along anyway.

“Uhh-” Coming out raspy, she cleared her throat and began again. “No! I am not jealous. I-I… he wanted to go on another date- so I shouldn’t be jealous! He thought that was our _first_ date, so I... am... not-” She crossed her arms and stuck her head in the other direction.

“Uh-huh. Okay, you don’t have to prove yourself, I _totally_ believe you, girl.” Alya teasingly winked. Marinette did her best Manon pouting impression which seemed to work on Alya because it made her laugh. “Speaking of that second date, when is it happening?” She realized Marinette mentioned a second date.

“Oh yeah!” Marinette blushed and went on. “He said he'd have time during one of his piano lessons this week. I’ve been so excited this entire week! I can’t wait for Adrien to come over and bake with me- with us, my parents too.” She smiled a little and breathed a giddy sigh. She could already imagine Adrien asking for help with his cookie dough and her helping him knead the dough, her hands softly leading his hands as they shaped his dough together, briskly touching hands. It would be so... _romantic!_ She’d go on a few more dates with him, she and Adrien would start going out, they’d get married and have a gorgeous house and a dog, or a cat actually, and a hamster! And they’ll name it-

“Marinette? Marinette! Earth to Marinette?” Alya gave a few quick snaps in front of her friend's love-struck face and rolled her eyes. She blinked a few times before shaking her head and finally listening. “Can you please get off me now, girl?” She chuckled, a bit peeved but also amused at her best friend’s goofiness. Marinette hadn’t even noticed that she fell into Alya’s arms while she was in her head.

“Oh! Right! I’m so sorry! I got distracted and then I went into one of my daydreams, you know how I can be, all crazy hahaha…” Marinette hastily picked herself up and brushed Alya off, mumbling more apologies.

“Don’t worry about it, Marinette. I’ve practically gotten _used_ to your shenanigans by now.” Alya jested, shaking her head playfully. “Anyway, I’m gonna have to leave you both, I promised my mom I would pick my sisters up after school since she’s busy preparing a few things at the hotel for next week.” Alya greeted them both goodbye and left towards her sisters’ school. After a few minutes of walking in the same direction, Nino and herself parted ways as well.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Are you excited to teach Adrien how to bake, Marinette?” Tikki popped out of her purse, feeling a skip in Marinette’s step as she walked to school. The day had finally come for their date, and Marinette was _beyond_ excited, words couldn’t express how filled with glee she was.

“Am I? _Yes_ , I can’t wait!” She twirled a little but skidded to a stop as she came close to a crosswalk, smiling shyly at another waiting Parisian, then quickly returned to her gleeful demeanor once they passed. "I'm gonna teach Adrien how to bake pizza!" Marinette sang, with a little squeal. "We're gonna make pizza together! Me and Adri- Urgh!" 

Suddenly her face collided with another and Marinette fell to the ground with a grunt. She rubbed her head as she slowly opened her eyes. It was- _Chat_? "Sounds delicious, will you give me some too?" He brushed himself off and helped her up.

“Oh… gosh. I’m so sorry, Chat Noir! I was in a zone and wasn’t looking where I was going.” Marinette collected her bag and put a quick hand inside to make sure Tikki was still there, which was confirmed when she gave her hand a tiny squeeze.

“I don’t know you might have to make it up to me somehow…” Chat held his chin and smirked mischievously.

Marinette rolled her eyes and hummed. “Well, maybe we’ll save some for you! No promises though, that boy can _eat_.” She giggled, and she could have sworn she saw Chat’s face flush a little. Tikki nudged her side a little and Marinette looked at her phone to realize she was going to be late. “Shoot, shoot! I’m gonna be late! I gotta go, sorry for running into you!” She ran past him as he laughed and shook his head. Marinette ran through the school doors and skirted to a casual walk and peeked into her purse. “You okay, Tikki?”

“I’m fine, Marinette… but don’t you think that if Chat Noir is out, that there’s probably an akuma?” Tikki inquired, just as she expected Marinette’s akuma alert chimed.

“Seriously? Out of all the days’ Hawk Moth could have chosen, he chooses today to akumatize someone? Why can’t he just stop trying to get our miraculous’? We have a life too…” Marinette groaned.

Tikki gave her a sheepish smile in return. “On the bright side, at least now you have something to keep yourself busy! You might have to get all your jitters out, right?”

“Your right… let’s go then, Tikki!” Marinette started, making sure no one was looking before finding a safe place to transform. “Spots on!”

  
  


\---

  
  


After a while of listening to some peaceful music playlists, Lila began to grow antsy. Not opening up about anything would only make things worse, she figured. Hesitantly, Lila began to talk. 

"See… the reason… I act the way I do is because I feel so lonely without my dad, and since my mom is always at work, I just wanted someone to give me the attention my mom never did… and I got that with those other people. They thought I was interesting and I _loved_ that attention. I grasped it, and held on to it for as long as I could." Lila clenched a fist as she grasped the air and closed her eyes as she pushed it close to her heart. "Now that I got that all taken away from me… I- I just feel s-so hurt and betrayed, all alone." She fought back sobs and hugged herself into her chest. Some might have called her selfish or bratty, but could you blame her? Her childhood changed dramatically ever since her father left and it left a hole in her heart that would be nearly impossible to mend.

“You don’t have to talk about it all at once if you don’t think you can. Take it one step at a time. Do you still want to continue about this? We can talk about those other kids you mentioned before or I already know a little about your parents, if you wanna talk about that instead?” Eleanor smiled reassuringly and Lila gave a quick nod and wiped her tears. They had two sessions before this, the one where they watched the movie, and another where they put on music and talked about what happened with Lila’s father.

“Yeah. L-let's just start from where we left off last week?” She sat up against the armchair and hugged her knees. “About my feelings?”

“You want to talk about how you feel?” Lila nodded and she continued. “Okay, let’s talk about a situation I do know about first. How did you feel when your mother talked to you about your father leaving?” Eleanor typed a few things into her laptop and pushed it aside so she could focus on Lila.

“I- um… I guess I was confused at first because I never knew that much about him until we talked, so when she sat me down I didn’t know how to feel. Then once she told me everything and I understood what he did and what happened I felt disappointed and _angry_ , not only at him though but...” Lila sighed and left her fetal position to dangle her feet off the chair.

“Angry at your mom too?” Eleanor tilted her head a little and gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay to be mad at her, you have every right to be.”

“I’m not gonna lie… I was angry at her for a _while_ . I couldn’t help but think that my dad leaving was all her fault, but then… then I realized she was only trying to do what was best for me, she was going through just as much pain and loss, if not more, but still kept trying to be as happy as she could… for _me_. She just wanted me to be supported, especially since it was just herself left to take care of me afterward. That’s when I started feeling angry at myself too, I felt so guilty for thinking I was the only one who had felt betrayed and hurt, I guess I took it out on my mom too.”

“I’m glad you can acknowledge that anger, and learn from it. I noticed you still have some lingering anger though… is it for anyone in particular?” She turned slightly to type a few things into her laptop then after a bit, turned her attention back to Lila.

“Lingering anger…?” Lila knitted her brows in confusion but then suddenly realized. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Well, it’s kind of a long story, with multiple people… umm, feeding my anger.” 

“Oh, is that so?” Eleanor gave a few encouraging nods as she typed a couple of new notes into her laptop. “We’ve already covered a lot, do you think it would be best to talk about it right now? If not, I’d be glad to listen to some music for the rest of the session and we can talk about it next week!”

Lila pondered it for a moment. She would have loved to talk about it right now, but she had probably gotten riled up enough for today, no need for any more of that for a while. On the other hand, they hadn’t technically talked about that much-

“Ladybug and Chat Noir save the day again! Look at that, folks, a young man taken advantage of by the notorious Hawk Moth once again! Oh, Ladybug! Do you have time for some questions, they’ll be _super_...” They looked back at Eleanor’s laptop, even though Lila couldn’t see what it was, she could tell from the newscasters that it was another post-akuma alert. She rolled her eyes and clenched her fists tightly and dug them straight into the armrests, fighting back the urge to say a snarky remark about Ladybug, which didn’t go unnoticed by Eleanor, but decided it was Lila’s call to make if she wanted to talk about it further. Taking another deep breath, Lila chose to leave it be for the time being.

“I think we can talk about it next week. Besides I wanted to ask you about that picture, is that your husband? You look super cute together!” Lila fought back her previous emotions and focused on getting to know Eleanor a bit more.

“Oh- uh… yes. That is my sweet Callum, he’s not from France but he adores it here.” Eleanor sat up from her desk to admire the photo of her husband and herself. “He’s always talking about how amazing it is here.”

They put some music on as they continued talking. Mostly about Eleanor’s husband and family for a bit, until they silently listened to some music and Lila idly watched as Eleanor typed some more notes into her laptop for a few minutes. She could only assume the notes were about herself and her progress or whatever it is therapists write about their patients. She had much doubt that she was even making _any_ progress, but it felt good to pour her heart out to someone who would listen, so she didn’t really care.

“Okay, well I’m super proud of you, Lila. It’s only been a few weeks and you’ve already shown signs of a little growth!” Eleanor gave her one of the brightest smiles she’s seen from her and closed her laptop, hinting that their session was almost over.

“ _Only_ a few weeks? How can you say that, Eleanor? We’ve already been through three sessions, almost a whole _month_ now and I’ve barely talked about anything without clamming up!” Lila’s eyes filled with disappointment.

Eleanor pursed her lips and stood up to walk over to the discouraged girl. She sat down on the other armchair and rubbed Lila’s back slowly. “Oh, Lila… It's not about feeling better about the situations that make your emotions show that’s important, what _is_ important is that you learn from your emotions and not let them dictate your actions anymore. Some of my patients talk like a flower blooming but take years to stop their sessions with me and even then they’re _still_ not fully recovered. Others barely ever breathe a word about their emotions, more so than you, they’re very stubborn kids. Once they finally let it out though, they recognize past mistakes and grow. The fact is, the only way _you_ can grow is to let yourself feel these emotions and get to the root of the problem. Lila, you have more sadness and guilt than anger or any other emotions, and that's totally fine. You’ve been doing a terrific job of giving those emotions a voice so far, you are a blooming flower. Just be patient with yourself, if you don’t you’ll start to slow down your progress rather than let it continue growing.”

Lila didn’t even think about therapy like that, but now it made a lot more sense. Of course, she should have figured that she couldn’t just get rid of trauma related to her father and all her disappointment, sadness, and guilt that came with it just from going to a therapist and talking about it. Lila looked at Eleanor, in shock. "Wow, I had… no idea. Um- thank you. For believing in me when no one else did."

"Thank _you_ for allowing me to help you, it was with great pleasure. See you next week?" Eleanor sighed and stood up, holding a hand out to Lila too.

"For sure, I'll be counting on it." Lila took her hand and followed Eleanor out of her office. She waited until she got her class dismissal since her first class was still going on but she basically already missed all of her 1st period, so she might as well give it when everyone is out of class. "Bye, Eleanor. See you next week!"

Lila hurriedly walked out of the building and speed-walked towards the school. It wasn’t that far from the school only across the street but her first class was coming to a close, and she only had about 5 minutes in between classes. At this point the rumor that she was going to therapy had already spread so she didn't even bother trying to hide it anymore. Luckily she wouldn't be late for 2nd but she would still need to drop off her slip to Mrs. Bustier, so as soon as she entered the building she headed straight upstairs. As she entered she saw the only two people, Rose and Juleka packing up their things, they gave her some quick civil smiles before exiting the classroom.

"Lila! Thank you, run along now you're gonna be late for next class." Mrs. Bustier took the slip with open arms and greeted her out. "Have a good day!" She was grateful her teachers were so understanding, even Ms. Mendeleiev, who normally would pester anyone who came late to class, just read her slip and nodded. The first time though, the pestering came, which was to be expected from her.

"Morning, Ms. Rossi, please take a seat." She gave her the usual head nod and continued the class like normal. "Today we'll be working in groups, I've already assigned them so don't argue…" Lila only somewhat listened, too wrapped up in her own thoughts. She shook her head violently and snapped out of it, if she was going to get better, she needed to have the motivation as well. Which unfortunately meant… school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! You might notice that I tend to skip Akuma fights a lot since I've already done it twice now. Well... I do that on purpose. I'm not really in the mood to be writing action, but this is more of a Lila-centered story anyway, so I don't think it will be a problem. Thanks for understanding, hope you enjoyed it! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While in therapy, Lila makes it a goal to try amending things with the people she hurt so she can gain some closure. Lila finds out some... surprising news.

"Just let it go, kid. Face the fact. You are _blind_. I've accepted it, you should too.” Plagg grumbled, stuffing some Camembert in his face to relieve himself. They were back in his room talking about Marinette.

“I just don’t understand how Marinette is in love with _me_. I thought she had something going with Luka? I definitely saw something between them. Like when we went to the ice rink?” Adrien laid on his couch holding Plagg in his hands. He already set up his phone on his piano to be heard throughout the whole room.

“I think I heard a reason or two why she isn’t with that guitarist. _You!_ ” Plagg floated above Adrien to smack him on the head. “So were you just jealous of Luka, or do you not want to go on a date with Marinette after all?” Plagg sat on Adrien’s palm irritated as the poor boy contemplated his situation.

“What- no! _Of course,_ I still want to go out with Marinette and-” Adrien shot up from the couch scoffed, and drew his sentence as he continued. “I am not jealous.” Plagg, as a result, snickered and flew over to Adrien’s desk. 

“I highly doubt that you seem way too interested in Marinette’s love life to be saying that, but by all means go ahead and say what you please.” The amused kwami shook his head as he headed towards his cheese cabinet. “Also I figured you would say that considering… this.” Plagg held back a cackle as he neared Adrien’s computer. On-screen was a fairly old YouTube video that showed a cooking channel by the name of “Rosana Pansino,” making pizza that Adrien had been watching earlier so that he had at least some idea on how pizza was made.

“Nevermind t-that, Plagg. We’re gonna be late for my date.” Adrien’s face flushed a bit as he walked over to Plagg and plucked the kwami from his desk where he laid on his back, still laughing. “Let’s go!”

“Ugh fine, but you have to let me eat as much cheese as I want when we get back.” Plagg huffed, finally calming down.

“Yea, yea, sure. Just not right now. I don’t want Marinette knowing I smell like aged cheese all the time.” Adrien opened his window and transformed. “Plagg, Claws out!” He headed for Marinette’s bakery on all fours through the Paris rooftops so as to not be as noticed. 

He was quite excited to learn how to bake, although he was sure it would end in them covered in flour or something if he messed up. Oh well, it would make for an all the more fun experience. Especially now that he knew Marinette held _feelings_ for him. He couldn’t just reject her _again_ , sure back then she seemed to handle it pretty well, but something told him she didn’t actually like Chat Noir back then. 

Her reactions as she told _Adrien_ felt a lot more genuine and real. But- he wasn’t doing this just to pity her. As he said before, he had always felt something a little extra for Marinette, but being the oblivious boy Plagg had explained him to be, he’d always thought those feelings were because she was his first friend he made himself. Thinking back on it now Plagg was right… how could he have been so blind to his _own_ feelings? Probably because he and Marinette were a lot closer now than as to, say a year ago. They hang out a lot more now. Before it was only with other friends like Nino and Alya too, but now Marinette accompanies him on photoshoots sometimes, and they even are allowed to play video games together every so often. Of course, it still wasn’t as much as he and Nino would hang out almost every weekend. It was definitely a bigger change though, which Adrien was grateful for. 

Getting to know Marinette was a dream, he was glad he could talk to her about basically everything and tease her, and she would tease him back just like with Alya and Nino. He also learned quickly that she was also a very _stubborn_ girl, which he didn’t mind at all. In fact, he found it adorable when she’d pout about an argument she hadn’t ended up winning.

Stopping at a rooftop across from the bakery, he double-checked to make sure no one was around and dropped down into the alleyway that separated the bakery and the building he had just stood on as he de-transformed. The sun was just beginning to set, so he wasn’t very visible that high up anyway. Adrien saw their backdoor merely feet away, how convenient, he thought to himself. He knocked right after making sure Plagg was safely tucked away in his shirt.

“Adrien! Welcome, come on in. Hold on just a second. Let me call Marinette down…” Sabine greeted him as she called for Marinette upstairs. He could barely contain his excitement, he was gonna make pizza with Marinette and her parents! Maybe if he did a good job they could make some pastries for dessert too. _Mmmmm_ , he could already imagine getting his hands on a freshly baked chocolate-filled croissant.

He looked around the bakery since he only ever really saw their apartment, and saw Tom closing up the bakery. “Oh, Adrien! Hey, I was just locking up. We usually don’t have many customers towards the middle of the weekdays, people are working, at school, just busy in general. That’s why Marinette asked if you could come around this time, so it was less busy.” Adrien nodded and smiled as Marinette’s dad explained. He hadn’t really minded coming early in the evening. Plus he didn’t have much to do but practice his piano lessons anyway. 

“She should be down by now, let's go show you how to make some pizza!” Sabine exclaimed, gently pushed the boy towards the kitchen. Knowing Marinette’s parents, Adrien could already tell this was going to be fun.

  
  


\---

  
  


“So tell me, Lila, how many times have you been akumatized?” Eleanor waited as she hovered over her laptop's keyboard.

Lila winced at the question. She avoided eye contact as she answered. “Umm… let’s see, two… oh right, three and four during hero's day… so at least five times. I have been akumatized as Volpina maybe three times last year? Then Chameleon, and most recently Truth Seeker…”

“Oh wow…” Eleanor’s eyebrows shot up as she paused a moment to react, but then started typing on her laptop for a bit. She hastily went to reassure Lila when she saw her eyes turn away, ashamed. “Hey, don’t worry. It wasn’t your fault, and besides, there have been other people who have been akumatized _plenty_ more times. Remember _Mr. Ramier_?” Eleanor sighed through her nose in amusement. “He was quite the pigeon pleaser.” Lila’s lips tugged up a little, but she did not have it in her to smile or laugh.

“Well, the problem is exactly that… three of them _were_ completely my fault. Sure the first time as Volpina was just my emotions getting the best of me, as well as Truth Seeker. In between those, though, I had been _terrible_. I was so eager to get revenge on Ladybug for humiliating me around Adrien and have Adrien be mine that I didn’t even think of the consequences. I even teamed up with Hawk Moth for a _very short_ while! I purposefully was akumatized and it’s nobody's fault but my own.” 

Eleanor stayed silent for a moment until finally asking a question. “How do you feel about Ladybug _now_? Has she ever tried apologizing, or have you?” Eleanor patiently waited for Lila to calm down and give her an answer.

“Well… to be completely honest, I’ve been over Adrien for a while now, so I’m not _that_ mad at her anymore. I’m still kind of holding a grudge, although she doesn’t really know that. She did actually apologize maybe twice? The first time I didn’t even try to hide the fact that I was still mad, but the second time I pretended to accept it, and I actually just completely brushed it off because I was still really angry at her then.” 

Lila kind of fell out of interest for Adrien when she cut ties with Gabriel Agreste. She told Mr. Agreste she didn’t want anything more since his plan had gone south and he, for some inexplicable reason, refused to tell her why. Lila had realized Adrien probably wouldn’t be coming to the same idea that she did about dating, so she settled to just cut ties with Mr. Agreste after she came to that conclusion. He _had_ indeed honored his promise about allowing her to model with Adrien. Unfortunately, though, Adrien didn’t seem to be too keen on her after their little scene where he basically blackmailed Lila for Marinette. Which is what led her to her conclusion in the first place.

“What about Adrien? Are you two still friends even though you aren’t interested in him anymore?” Eleanor continued her questions. Well… friends would be slightly pushing it, especially after how he talked to her at the photo shoot, he was really trying to imply that they would only ever be friends. Which sucked to hear but it was the truth. She wasn’t necessarily on _bad_ terms with him either though, and she obviously didn’t hate him. Although she couldn’t say the same for him after that blog exposing her lies came out. Lila really couldn’t blame him if he did end up hating her though, she did some pretty awful things that she definitely regretted thinking back on them now.

“Not… really? I kind of stopped talking to him after I hurt one of his closest friends. I’m sure after he found out about the other things I lied about, he hates me now! I couldn’t blame him though I’ve done some pretty mean things to her.” Lila added. It was best if she didn’t elaborate on the things she had done and said about Marinette.

“Ah, so you have some kind of... vendetta against this girl? Did she do anything, in particular, to upset you, or were you maybe, just jealous that she’s seemed to be closer to Adrien than you were?” _Oof,_ well there went that plan. Now that she heard the thought from someone else though, it felt about right. 

What had Marinette done to get on Lila’s bad side again? Well, she managed to figure out her lies really quickly and tried to turn everyone against Lila and didn’t want to be her friend until she stopped lying. That wasn’t a good reason for disliking Marinette though… despite having some anger issues, Marinette was liked by everyone, was a lot smarter than the other people that she managed to fool for a bit, and she was very much a goodie two shoes. In fact, she didn’t even have a problem with Marinette _at all_. It was the opposite actually, it was _Marinette_ who seemed to dislike _her,_ for which she could only assume was because Marinette didn’t like that Lila used to be all over Adrien.

“No… she didn’t really do anything to upset me, she tried turning everyone against me though and maybe I was _a little_ jealous that she was closer to Adrien than I was after a while. Like I said before though, I’m over that now. She was _definitely_ not fond of me though, which I guess made me dislike her on principle.” Lila admitted.

“Are you saying that she’s the one who doesn’t like _you_?” Eleanor continued on although she seemed almost a little surprised at that statement.

“Yea… I kind of tortured her, uhh her name is Marinette for, like… forever because she found out before even _Adrien_ that I had made up all those things about having arthritis and tinnitus and a bunch of other stuff just so everyone would like me.” Lila shrugged, not really sure what else to do during this awkward confession.

“You didn’t have to make all that stuff up Lila… you're a great person, you just have problems to work out. I’ve loved getting to know you these past weeks. You're very passionate and funny. You care about family _so_ much, even when they’ve wronged you. You can be really nice when you _want_ to be and don’t like to be told what to do. These are all strong qualities that you don’t tend to share with others. You’ll find that it’s way easier to be yourself than to play a role and act hard. If you want to do better first, you have to stop lying. Can you do that?”

“I… can definitely try. It kind of just comes out of habit now though.”

“I know I’ve been super lenient these past weeks, but I’m very passionate too when it comes to my patients, so I’m gonna be totally honest with you. You have to break your habit of lying, okay? That’s the first thing I want you to focus on.”

“Does that mean I have to tell my mom about… everything?” Lila looked wary and Eleanor gave her a ‘ _seriously?’_ look, before nodding. 

Of course, she told her mom the basics, how she felt about her whole situation with her father, and how many times she had been akumatized, (that had been a big surprise to her mom and had given her another week of not going out after school for her ‘safety’, but Lila didn’t care too much now that she never really went out anyway.) That meant now she had to tell her about why she got akumatized and all _those_ details, then there were those medical conditions she had lied to the _school_ about, and everything she lied to her _mom_ about _school_ and all that stuff with _Marinette_. Lila groaned loudly. She was in a knot made of lies that would take a while to untie.

Awh, _crud_. This was going to be a _long_ week. Might as well make the most of it.

  
  


\---

  
  


Last week had been an _absolute_ nightmare for Lila, and this week wasn’t any better. Was she being slightly self-absorbed? Yes. Did she care? Not at that particular moment, no. Why? Well, it was simple. Lila had spent a few days telling her mom about everything Eleanor told her to spill, and let’s just say Mrs. Rossi wasn’t happy about… well, _anything_ her daughter had confessed to. But most importantly ruining an innocent student’s school record. Of course, Mr. Damocles knew that in the end Marinette didn’t get reprimanded, but he forgot to mention that he put the warning on her record before Lila confessed about lying and hadn’t bothered to take it off. So Lila’s mom went to the school and personally apologized about her daughter’s behavior, mentioned that there was some stuff going on at home for a while, and asked to put that warning on Lila’s school record instead of the other student that Lila had told her about.

So after everything with _that_ was taken care of, Eleanor had given her some more “homework” to do. She needed to make amends, and... well let’s just say that was gonna be slightly difficult seeing as everyone won’t believe that she’s truly apologizing. Lila beat the system a little when thinking about talking to the school about her acts because her mom had already done that for her so it really wasn’t _necessary_. 

Who else was next on the list then? Her teachers, she decided first. Lila headed off to school, her therapy session wasn’t until Friday, so there was no need to worry about being late. Also, she decided to give her apologies right after school instead of doing it after classes so she wouldn’t have to worry about being late to the next class. Lila was going in order of her classes, so first up was Mrs. Bustier. 

“Um- hi Mrs. Bustier. Sorry, I know I don’t normally drop by after class today.” Lila greeted her teacher as she walked into the classroom.

“Oh, Lila! What a lovely surprise, I didn’t know you had therapy today, did you forget to hand me a slip or something?” 

“Oh, no. I don’t have therapy today, actually. I came here because… I wanted to say,” Lila sighed heavily. How do you even start this kind of apology? “I know I’ve done some pretty incriminating things, and… I’ve hurt a lot of people. I don’t really have it in me to say _why_ right now, but I did everything for the attention. I thought maybe people would like me more, and now I’ve accepted that it was very wrong of me. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe me, but I hope that if you do that you accept my apology. I’m sorry about how I manipulated and lied to you. I know a simple “sorry” can’t fix everything I did, but hopefully, it’s a start, and trust me when I say I will do everything to try and learn from my mistakes so that it never happens again.” Lila blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Once Mrs. Bustier responded, she was graciously accepting. “It must have taken a lot to come here and say that. I know not everything is perfect for you right now, so just know that I do believe you. I hope the best for you and I wholeheartedly accept your apology. I’m glad you are willing to change your actions for the better, and I wish you the best.” She stepped away from her desk to give Lila an embrace. Wow, she didn’t know how strong the teacher's grip was. After they separated their hug, the few tears that Lila’s eyes made had dried up by then, but just to make sure she still wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Thanks for being so supportive, Miss. See you tomorrow.” Lila greeted her teacher with another, shorter, goodbye hug.

“See you tomorrow, Lila. Have a nice evening.” After a few more words, Lila finally left the classroom towards her next one, Ms. Mendeleiev’s classroom. She started down the stairs before stopping midway. She looked around suspiciously. Of course, there were still plenty of other students still at school, she figured probably for extra-curricular activities or something. But she felt as though someone was… _following_ her? She lingered a bit longer, looked over the stair railing, and still saw nothing. Strange. Oh well, she was probably just being paranoid. She continued down the stairs and made her way over to Ms. Mendeleiev’s class. There wasn’t as much to apologize for to most of her other teachers, except for faking her conditions, (yes she faked them in _every_ class of hers) but she still felt the need to anyway. It was what Eleanor would have liked. Just for some closure, and also out of respect for her teachers. 

  
  


\---

  
  


So… Lila spent the next thirty-ish minutes going around to her classes having conversations with her teachers? She was right outside what seemed to be her last classroom, it was on the second floor near the staircases that lead down to the courtyard and up to the library. Alya luckily had enough time to hide behind the library’s stairs right as Lila went into her last classroom. The railing was a thick enough wall that she wouldn’t be noticed from the classes below, or at least that’s what she hoped...

“I’m done, whoever you are… you can come out now! I don’t bite, I promise. Well, not anymore at least.” Lila called just loudly enough for Alya to hear. “C’mon, don’t even try to pretend, you’re not very inconspicuous.” Lila waited a bit until Alya finally gave in. How was she supposed to explain following her? She felt like Marinette, except _she_ actually got caught. How did that girl have such good luck at such wrong times? 

“ _Hey_ , Lila… umm,” Suddenly Alya was walking up to Lila, looking somewhat sheepish. “I swear, I can explain why I’ve been following you around for like half an hour.”

“Alya! I didn’t expect to see _you_. Um- Continue?” Lila looked a bit apprehensive while answering, which might have been due to the way Alya talked to her the last time they talked.

“I’m actually trying to get some perspective on why you lie. You could say it’s… research. So far all I have right now is that I noticed you sort of gave it up like a week ago, and I _think_ it has something to do with your therapy. I also gathered that now that you're having conversations with your teachers, I heard a little when you were talking with Mrs. Bustier, something about believing in you or believing you, not really sure. I couldn’t hear any of the others though, I was scared my cover would have been blown, but that’s sort of pointless now.” Alya rambled on about her discoveries. She figured it would be best to be honest and not stoop to Lila’s level. Lila’s shoulders seemed to have slumped and she could have sworn she heard Lila stifle a sigh of relief when she heard that last sentence.

“Oh. So- why exactly are you trying to do research… research on me? You said because you want to gain some perspective on why I lie- on why I _used_ to lie?” Lila shook her head and had a glint of persistence in her eyes as she corrected herself. Alya had to think for a bit. Was she crossing the line of appropriate observations? Sure it was perfectly fine to overhear a conversation Lila’s mom had with Mr. Damocles, and noticing subtle things Lila did or didn’t do was also fine, but _following_ her around to gather more things? Hm… what would Nino tell her in this situation?

_“Al, would you want someone you are barely on good terms with snooping about in your personal life? I don’t know about you but in my opinion, that’s totally not cool, dude.”_

Yikes, when she thought about it like _that_ , it did seem quite invasive of her to be snooping around in Lila’s personal situations. Maybe she could calm down a bit on the research, or better yet take a break on it for a while and maybe ask Lila if they could go out for ice cream and talk. That way she could at least ask Lila if she was even okay with Alya doing this kind of extensive analysis on her.

“Yea. You know what, I’m sorry. It’s totally not cool for me to be invading your personal privacy like that, I just kind of wanted to know more about why you did the things you did, you know? I was thinking and… maybe we could go out for ice cream and talk about it?” Lila thought about it for a moment, slightly hesitant. Alya was quick to reassure her that she didn’t have to. “A-And if you’re not comfortable with it- talking about that stuff with me, I mean, we don’t _have_ to. It was just a suggestion. Besides I wouldn’t blame you after the way I talked to you last time.”

“Yea, you were pretty harsh. Anyway, right. I… will think about your offer. It’s just hard to talk about that stuff, and actually, about those teacher conversations. I don’t want to talk too much about therapy because it’s embarrassing that I even have to go, but I’ll just say that I need to make amends so that I have some closure about manipulating and how I treated everyone, and I kind of got carried away because… well you know what, that’s beside the point. I just wanted to apologize to everyone that I even affected in the _slightest_ because of my lies.” Lila thought for a moment before talking again. “When do you wanna meet up? In case I make up my mind earlier than I thought. I wouldn’t mind getting ice cream any day, except maybe Friday’s.” Lila smiled weakly. Alya wouldn’t mind some ice cream either after having to take care of her ‘angel’ sisters last week. She speculated that Friday’s were when Lila went to therapy, but she didn’t ask about it any further.

“Oh. Sure! Let me see, would this weekend still work for you? I have something to do on Friday anyway, so maybe Saturday at noon?” Alya remembered the concert she wanted to go see Nino at so she was definitely glad Lila was busy on Friday too. They exchanged a few awkward goodbyes before leaving in different directions. 

Someone had clearly hurt her, so whoever that was, was also partly to blame for Lila’s actions it seems. Maybe her parents, or sibling, or both? Did Lila even have any siblings? Now that she recalled, Lila never mentioned any siblings. Maybe that’s why she was lonely, she didn’t have any siblings to have fun and hang out with. The twins could be annoying sometimes but they let her let loose when she was feeling down, and she was eternally grateful for those moments. Even Nora always made her not-so-good days just that much better with her hilarious stories of boxing some weaklings and not even having to lift a muscle.

Alya _had_ actually managed to get a _private_ interview with Ladybug and Chat Noir, they insisted on it that way. That’s where she got most of her info and learned that Lila had actually been feeling lonely and had no friends. While battling Lila- Truth Seeker, they also learned a slight bit about her parents separating which really got Alya going. 

From what Lila said about her parents though, they didn’t seem like the types to stop at one child, her mom was mostly sweet from what she could tell, except for the fact that her mom was always working. Maybe that’s why her parents separated, Mrs. Rossi was always busy paying bills and paying Lila’s expenses, (she knew _firsthand_ how expensive small kids were, boy they were a headache at times) and her dad never wanted to take care of Lila so he decided to just leave them completely. What a jerk. She had done some searching on the internet to confirm this and it wasn’t the exact same thing as her theory, but then again, all families and situations are far-ranging, so it seemed likely enough.

She had somewhat of an idea after a week or so of research, so maybe she could ask if her theories were true. Maybe if Lila was pensive about the whole thing though she’d have to think some stuff through. Alya was completely sure that Lila _did_ in fact go to therapy after just passing by and _happening_ to see her go into an adolescent therapy center. At least Lila was making some moves to getting help. 

Alya hoped that Lila would at least show up and hear her out. If she was willing to talk to Lila after all those things she did to her and her friends, Lila could excuse a slight hiccup of aggression towards her, especially after everything she’d done to them. Alya wasn’t usually one to hold grudges but Lila’s act had been going on for more than a year, it wasn’t something to brush off quickly or take lightly. Hopefully, Alya could keep her temper at a minimum so she would be able to have a useful conversation with Lila without either of them storming out.

  
  


\---

  
  


Lila hugged herself and turned her face away in shame towards a window on her right. It was lunchtime, and she had only gotten through half of her meal before just setting it off to the side on Eleanor’s coffee table. Eleanor was busy in the morning, so they decided to reschedule their session right before lunch started so Lila wouldn’t be too late to her next classes. “I told her I’d consider it... but after everything I’ve done to Alya and her loved ones, how could I possibly confront her again? Alya is _actually_ pretty smart, she could put everything she found out about my personal life _and more_ on another blog of hers and I’d never be able to go back to school again!”

Lila could not bear the thought of everyone finding out how abhorrent and lonely she really was. They would either pity her after finding out or disregard her even more. Both of those were definitely _not_ what she wanted. She did not want to be pitied, in fact, she didn’t even _deserve_ to be pitied. Lila had done all those disgraceful things by her own means, and just because she felt so in control and powerful doing such things doesn’t make them any more right. She regretfully hadn’t realized that until she had been in therapy for a while. Being disregarded was just as bad, if not worse. She would feel even more lonely and powerless than when her lies had been outed. Lila was somehow able to gain everyone's trust fairly easily by telling them things she was sure would impress them, then with one swift movement, all that had fallen to pieces like a Jenga tower. 

“So why hasn’t she then? Alya clearly had no problem with sharing your lies, so why do you think she hasn’t shared everything else if she already found out a handful of personal things about you?”

“I-I don’t know.” Lila slowly turned back to face Eleanor.

Lila pondered that question. Alya’s blog had talked about what was said in the recording, it was a handful of evidence. Enough to prove that Lila falsely accused Marinette of pushing her down the stairs, and of cheating on their semester exams and that Lila seemed to have manipulated everyone, as a number of statements from students suggest that she held back information and made promises she almost never kept. To further prove the manipulation, Alya had theories and statements from Nathaniel, Mylene, Max, all of them had accounts of some suspicious behaviors and conversations she'd had with them, but that was not all. The most incriminating statement was that of Adrien, who had said she blatantly lied about him crying over his "bad" grades, which got his assistants reprimanded. Thinking back on that, she did feel a bit bad, it’s nothing she can do about now though. He also told Alya in his recording that Lila had also lied about being a Vixen superhero, which Alya had seemed excited to hear, seeing as she _is_ the Ladyblogger, the weird thing was that she hadn’t posted any superhero interviews, which was weird because she was more than sure that Ladybug and Chat Noir ( _especially_ Ladybug) had a few things to say about Lila Rossi. Maybe Alya just wanted to save that for the Ladyblog since it got a lot more views.

“Well, I think Alya still has some boundaries of things to talk about, so if she knows some stuff she thinks she probably shouldn’t be sharing, she won't share it. For your privacy, of course.” Eleanor had gone back to typing a few things on her laptop before switching her attention to Lila as she talked.

“But, I was so-so deceitful, how could she possibly care about _my_ well being after all those terrible things I’ve done? If I were her, I’d barely even want to talk to me...” 

“Maybe something convinced her not to then. Or she could simply have a good heart, and even if she doesn’t like you, she doesn’t think you deserve to suffer.” She supposed that was a possibility, from what she learned about Alya, Lila could tell she is a very persistent and passionate person. Very gullible at times, sure, but she had a bit of a temper, and it only really ever showed when she was faced with injustice.

“Yeah, that does sound like her. Does that mean you think I should have ice cream with her and talk about, whatever it is she wants to talk about?”

“Yes, I do. It would be a very good chance to make amends with her too. Talk things out, at least be civil with each other instead of always being tense every time you run into her.” Eleanor’s eyes brightened with remorse.

“You’re right, Eleanor. I was kind of hoping she’d be one of the last people to apologize to, but I guess now is a better time than ever.” Lila chewed on her bottom lip hesitantly. There was no guarantee Alya or anyone else would accept her apologies the way her teachers did so willingly. Especially Marinette… 

“Speaking of, do you mind sharing with me who you need to give your confessions and acknowledgments to? I want to make sure I can keep up with your progress.”

“Well… it’s more of groups of people like I already apologized to all my teachers, and there are even more students I have to apologize to. I was planning to do Alya, Marinette, Nino, and Adrien separately though. I should probably also apologize to Ladybug and Chat Noir since I've caused them so much trouble with my akumatizations, especially for purposefully getting myself akumatized more than once. I barely think I’ll be able to fix things with only words but…” 

After talking things through for the rest of the session, they started wrapping things up a little early so that Lila wouldn’t be late to her next class for once. “See you next, week Lila. I can’t wait to hear about your conversation with Alya.” Eleanor gave her the usual slip and a quick hug.

“Me too…” Lila mumbled to herself. “Bye. I’ll see you next week, Elle. I-Is it okay if I call you that? It’s a pretty nickname, and it's nice and short too.” Eleanor’s smile softened and reached out to give Lila a reassuring pat on the back.

“Of course, I’m glad you’re comfortable with me enough to call me that now. Have a good day!” Lila left towards school with her slip in hand. She wasn’t in any hurry to be going since Eleanor had insisted on leaving it unreasonably early so Lila would not be late to class again. Elle was like her own personal teacher, except she taught Lila more important things and was really nice and fun. There were always those times when she’d get all serious, but Lila knew Elle only meant well with those lectures. 

Lila was trotting down the sidewalk for a few minutes on her phone before noticing something across the street from the corner of her eye, oh. It was Ladybug, she was swinging towards the direction of the school. That’s weird. Lila looked around to see if anyone noticed, but most of the pedestrians were busy with their phones or too far away to notice anything.

Then suddenly Ladybug dropped down into an alley just short of the school. Lila _knew_ she should have looked away and ignored it, but she was so shocked she couldn’t shake her gaze on the alleyway. Before she knew it, someone was creeping out and taking a few glaces here and there before striding out with a low hum. It can’t be-

 _Marinette_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you love cliffhangers? :P
> 
> I regret not planning this story out in the beginning, but now that I have an idea of how it'll end, I'm not too worried. Hope you enjoyed it! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila and Marinette have a serious chat. Marinette also asks Adrien out, and Lila chats about how her ice cream meet up went at therapy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know why but I had a hard time writing this chapter. Oh also before I forget here's a WARNING, there's like one bit of cursing towards the end, but this is tagged teens and up so yeah. Enjoy! <3

"Oh no. Oh, no-no. This is a disaster! I'm so careless, how could I let this happen? There's no way… no way." Marinette gave a heavy sigh before going back to pacing around in the girl's bathroom. There stood Lila, and although Marinette had no idea why she was very uncomfortable to be having this conversation as well. "I can’t do this. I’m such a terrible Ladybug! I'm a terrible Guardian, I screwed up. Bad. So  _ bad. _ " Marinette’s hands thrust to the sides of her head, clenching them tightly. Lila tried to keep this information to herself all weekend after she found out, but she was afraid of what she might accidentally do if she didn’t tell  _ someone _ , thankfully she hadn’t let it slip with Alya when they talked over ice cream,  _ oh _ how Lila was so tempted to just casually mention it to get back at Marinette for ruining her chances at ever having friends. Instead, as soon as Monday rolled around she opted on telling Marinette herself.

Lila was astonished. She let Marinette pace some, seeing as she herself was still, even after a few days, trying to wrap her head around the fact that Marinette is Ladybug. Lila had no reason to hate Marinette, but now that she knew Marinette and Ladybug were one and the same. Well, she felt irritated now.  _ “How could such an impulsive, tongue-tied, clumsy girl as Marinette be Ladybug?”  _ Lila thought to herself, ignoring all the other reasonable thoughts swarming around in her head at that moment.

Lila clenched her fists, finally taking in her anger. “Of course it was you! It all makes sense. That time at the park… you were jealous and took advantage of him and your superhero abilities.” All that girl wanted to do was woo Adrien, figures.

“No- no. I admit, maybe I was jealous… but I had a good reason!” Marinette stopped mid-pace and turned on her heel to look Lila dead in the eye. Lila shifted uncomfortably to cross her arms in Marinette’s fierce gaze. “You were way too good to be true, my jealousy made me realize that, and after Alya told me something about Ladybug  _ saving _ you, I definitely had my suspicions. No one deserves to be lied to! Especially not  _ Adrien _ . He sees the good in everybody, he’s even friends with  _ Chloe. _ I couldn’t just let him be manipulated like that! Like the rest of our class! I couldn’t just watch you lie to him just because  _ you _ liked him.  _ You’re _ the one who took advantage of him, Lila. Not me.” Suddenly a conversation from before with Elle popped into her head. 

_ “Were you maybe, just jealous that she’s seemed to be closer to Adrien than you were?” _

_ “Maybe I was a little jealous that she was closer to Adrien than I was after a while. Like I said before though, I’m over that now.” _

She was, for once, telling the truth. Lila didn’t admire Adrien as much as she did long ago. Knowing he liked Ladybug only weakened her chances anyway, not to mention the fact that she knew that Ladybug indeed did share his feelings after all. Lila scoffed sarcastically. They were under each other’s noses the entire time all because of some idiotic “secret identity” rule. Lila’s pose softened, and she quickly looked away to avoid eye contact. 

“Fine. You’re right. I’m…” Lila looked away and took a long and deep breath to try and swallow her pride. She put off apologizing to Marinette because  _ she _ was the one who Lila had hurt the most. The fact that Marinette is Ladybug only ate her up inside more thinking of all the trouble she'd caused Ladybug and her feline friend too. Another moment later after composing herself, Lila continued. “I’m sorry, okay? All I wanted was to finally have some friends. Someone who I thought actually cared about me. I didn’t want it to go  _ that _ far, and once it did, I completely lost control. I felt excited for once, that I was getting the attention I deserved, the attention I was never given before! I never saw reason, it was only when-” 

Lila abruptly stopped herself. She could feel the tears threaten to break through her eyes as her knees buckled and she fell to the cold floor of the bathroom. She could feel Marinette’s somber gaze on her but continued anyway. “Until I was the one being manipulated and lied to. That’s when I finally realized how terrible it really feels to be manipulated and lied to and never be given the truth. Then that blog about me was posted for the whole school to see and I just- broke down. I couldn’t take the guilt, the pain anymore.” Lila didn’t quite know why she was pouring her heart and soul out to  _ Marinette _ , of all people, but she couldn’t expect sunshine and rainbows by only saying sorry and hoping to be forgiven. Lila needed to explain herself, and this was the only way she knew how. To finally tell the wholehearted truth.

Lila wouldn’t have been surprised if Marinette called her a liar, or that she was only saying that to clear her name. What she didn’t anticipate though, was for Marinette to lean down and give her an awkward, albeit kind of comforting pat on the back. Lila sniffled a little before taking a shaky deep breath.  _ “This is humiliating, I can’t believe Marinette is watching me cry!” _ Lila slowly looked up and felt Marinette quickly pull away and help her up.

“I’m sorry for making Alya post that conversation. I just didn’t want them to get hurt and I didn’t even think of the fact that you could be hurting too until one of my… my um-” Marinette paused a moment before scratching her cheek awkwardly. “Until Chat Noir told me how alone and sad you felt after being Truth Seeker. Maybe I could have gone about it differently, but my friends were stubbornly saying that “she’s not bad” or “you have nothing to worry about.” I just wanted them to find out sooner rather than later so they wouldn’t be disappointed. Thanks for apologizing too. I don’t really know what’s going on for you at home, but I really do hope it gets better, for everybody’s sake. I can’t entirely forgive you, but at least I have an idea of why you lied like that.” 

Lila gave the other girl a shaky smile before clearing her throat. “That’s more than I could ever ask for, really Marinette. I wasn’t even expecting you to forgive me at all. Especially after all those things I put you through as an akuma. I promise I’ll try to do better. As I’m sure you know, I have been going to therapy and it’s really helped me a lot so far so I  _ am _ trying to do better.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Marinette’s face changed from sympathetic to uneasy. “Also… um- Please. Please, I beg you. Don’t tell  _ anybody _ that I’m, you know.” Marinette looked around a little paranoid. 

“Um- yeah. Yeah. Of course, I promise. It’s the least I can do after everything I’ve done to you and your friends.” Lila shrugged and went over to the sink to wash her face. She saw Marinette stare at her a little longer with doubt, sometimes looking at her purse for whatever reason but eventually gave Lila a quick nod and left. Lila really couldn’t blame her for being uneasy about someone like Lila finding out her secret identity. She’d try to make it up to Marinette though by keeping her promise. There wasn’t anybody she  _ could _ tell anyway. It’s not like she has any more friends, and it’s definitely not Lila’s secret to share during therapy. Although she mostly trusted Elle now, there’s no telling what could happen if she told her. 

Lila gave a glance to the clock above the bathroom door. School was out now and she had plenty of time to gather her bearings so she stayed glued to the sink as she splashed water on her face.

\---

  
  


"Disaster! Disaster, disaster disa- Eep!" Marinette held her face tightly in her hands as soon as she walked out of the bathroom. It seemed she never grew out of her clumsy tendencies when she ran straight into someone's chest. "Ugh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you o-" Marinette sighed in relief as she took in the familiar face above her. "Oh. Hi, Adrien."

The fact that she could be relieved at  _ only _ running into Adrien made her heart swell. She could still sometimes feel a blush on her face at the sight of him, but after the past few weeks, Marinette had practically gotten used to crashing into him at school.

"Hey, Marinette. What happened, you looked pretty upset just now?" Adrien looked at her, his brows dipping slightly in concern.

"What? Oh yeah! Um…" Marinette frowned. How could she tell him  _ without _ lying? "I'm- I'm just anxious. I don’t feel like talking about it right now though…" She looked down at the ground as she replied.  _ That _ was not a lie. She did not feel like talking about this right now, especially not with Adrien.

Adrien’s smile softened as rested his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze as he spoke, which made her slightly flustered at the contact. “That’s fine. You know you can talk to me if you need to though, right?” 

“Y-Yes. Yeah- I know. Thank- thank you, Adrien. ” He leaned in and hugged her for a bit as she gave out a nervous answer and Marinette’s face heated up even more at his kind words. He probably thought she felt uncomfortable though because his eyes widened in realization and he slipped his hands away to his sides.

Marinette could feel the awkwardness and wanted to break the ice somehow. Ice… an idea popped into her head. “So, um- I really enjoyed playing video games with you, and teaching you to bake was also… interesting,” Marinette chuckled a little which made a blush creep up Adrien’s face in embarrassment. Sure, he wasn’t the best at baking but it still made for a good time. “So, I thought maybe we could… go ice skating again, t-together?”

Adrien’s arm moved up to his neck, his face still adamantly flushed. “Ice skating, just you and me?”

_ “C’mon, Marinette! There's no reason to be scared. Just say it.” _ She thought to herself until finally finding her courage and nodding. “Yeah! Y’know… like another date?” Marinette gulped, trying to sound as casual as she could.

“Oh, uh- yeah! That sounds like fun. I would love to, Marinette!" Adrien wore a dopey smile on his face, blushing even more now. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle a little, he was  _ adorable _ .

“Great! I-I will text you later to set up a time that we’re both free then. See ya later, Adrien.” They quickly greeted each other goodbye before she watched as he walked out to the front of the school where his bodyguard was probably waiting. As soon as he was out of earshot, she breathed out a sigh of relief she didn’t even notice she was holding in. “I can’t believe this, I just asked Adrien out! Like- like  _ actually _ asked him out on a date.” 

Marinette squeaked in delight at the realization and looked down into her purse where Tikki had slightly emerged from to whisper words of encouragement back to her Charge. “I’m so proud of you, Marinette! You’ve come so far from when you first met him.” Tikki hesitated a bit before continuing. “As much as I’d love to celebrate your new date... we still need to address the elephant in the room.” Tikki’s cheerful face faltered instead showing concern. 

Marinette bit her lip apprehensive, and gently nodded in agreement. She stayed silent and started her way home. Marinette wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable scolding from her Kwami about accidentally revealing her identity to Lila, so she drew out the walk home as much as she could.

**Meanwhile with Adrien**

Adrien was sure Plagg could hear the thumping of his heart quicken as he stepped away from the school, but didn't really mind at the moment, because he was thinking of Marinette. He had always known her to be a rather shy girl, so she caught him off guard when she asked him out on another date so unexpectedly. 

“Just a friend, huh?” Plagg teased, probably referring to the last time they went Ice Skating with Kagami and Luka.

“Shut up,” Adrien grumbled, glaring at the little kwami inside his shirt.

“I bet you just thought she was with that Luka boy. Hah! And that face you made when he led her onto the Ice was priceless! No doubt you were jealous.” Plagg snickered as he flew back into the comfort of Adrien’s shirt. He continued walking towards where the Gorilla was waiting for him and took a seat inside the car. 

Now that he thought about it, he did remember having a weird, tight feeling in his chest when he saw Marinette and Luka ice skating so gracefully together. Could he have been… maybe just  _ a little _ jealous? Plagg was right. Ugh, curse that stinky sock and his Camembert.

  
  


\---

  
  


“I talked to Alya last weekend when we went out for ice cream. I didn’t expect Nino to be there too, but it’s no wonder he came, they’re practically joined at the hip. I guess it did make it easier to talk to both of them though and I think it went decently well, considering everything.” Lila ranted on about her meet up. She was laying down on the sofa while Eleanor sat on an armchair next to her.

“What did you guys talk about?” Elle asked curiously.

“It was mostly Alya talking at first, asking for permission to continue, basically snooping around in my personal life, and then she apologized after a slight scolding from Nino. I don’t mind though, especially considering how much I was gaslighting everybody, her digging a little is practically nothing.” Lila felt so bad for keeping up that charade for such a long time. “I don’t think there’s anything I could do or say to fully gain their trust back, and all Alya wanted to do was find out why I had done it all and possibly even reconcile with me.”

“Maybe you just got to give them time, or do something genuine for them, or both. Things like this take a lot to heal. Talking yourself down will only make it harder if  _ you _ don’t even believe you can change.” Elle pointed out, giving her a comforting look.

“I know, your right. I have to make it up to them somehow…” Lila thought as Elle put some more notes in her laptop.

“Why don’t we focus on how it went talking to Alya and Nino first, huh? One thing at a time.” She suggested, taking her focus away from her laptop and letting Lila continue.

“Right. Well, like I said before she apologized about snooping, and then we went for ice cream as planned. I answered some of her questions about… about my parents, and clarified some things she had gotten wrong in her search. Apparently, she thought my dad was a dickhead or something, which I guess wasn’t  _ completely _ wrong, but he isn’t as bad as she made him out to be.”

“You don’t see him as the bad guy? Even after not visiting you for all these years? I know you told me he didn’t mean to leave you so harshly, but he still did it. That can be very hard to forgive especially since he hasn’t given you the time of day to even see you.” Elle objected, giving Lila a slight look of annoyance.

“Yes, I know that. I just, don’t want to give up on him. I still remember the good moments, and I know he loves me, maybe he just is so guilt-ridden that he thinks I don’t want to see him at all. Oh! Speaking of reaching out to him… Alya suggested it at the end of our conversation. She said it might give me some closure or I could do it just because I want to talk to him. She said she can pull some strings and contact him.” Lila looked away from the ceiling to look back at Eleanor. “I told her I’d call her if I decide anything.”

“What do you want to do then, are you gonna reach out to him?”

"I want to see him but I'm nervous to try. What if he forgot about me? It has been like, a decade after all..." Lila straightened herself and sat up from the sofa. She couldn’t stand the thought of her father forgetting about her, but she couldn’t get her hopes up and then have them destroyed again. 

"Do you think, maybe you're just overthinking it, Lila? I won't push you if you  _ really _ don't want to, but I think it would be good for you to at least try and talk to your father again.” Elle squeezed Lila’s shoulder a little with encouragement. 

"No, I do want to, and it's a lot more reassuring coming from my therapist." She smiled. "So... I'll call Alya later and let her know." She nodded hesitantly.

“Are you sure? You can change your mind, I don’t want to pressure you into something you’re uncomfortable with.” Eleanor added, releasing her grip from Lila’s shoulder and returning to typing in her laptop.

“Yes, I’m positive. I think I’ll talk about it with mom first, she’s always really supportive, but I don’t think she could change my mind, even if she wanted to.” If there was anyone she should tell before she met with her dad, she knew it was her mom. Lila didn’t exactly know what terms they were on, and if they still talked, but she knew her mom would want to know. Maybe her mom would even want to go with Lila, she did still love him after all.

“I’m glad to hear it. If that’s your decision, then we should go over what you want to say, maybe how you’re feeling about it.” Elle concluded, still typing.

“Yeah, sure…” Lila’s mind went in and out after that. There was so much to think about, she was finally gonna meet her  _ dad _ after all this time! She had no idea how to feel about it, should be happy, angry, nervous, excited, was all of the above an option?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I gave up on naming these, sorry. :]
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila finds out the story of how her father left them when she talks with her mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually know Italian, so I used google translate, so I tried to use as little as possible but still trying to give the story a bit of depth. Let me know if anything is wrong and I'll change it. (Also, heads up, there is another bit of cursing in this chapter)
> 
> Enjoy!

“I feel so bad for thinking the worst about her. How could I not have seen it before? I’m a journalist! I should know these things, then maybe I could have helped her see reason. She’s been so alone, maybe if we showed her what real friends are like she wouldn’t have turned out so bad.” Alya sighed. “I told Lila I could make some connections and be able to find her dad, it’s the least I could do.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Al. Think of it like this, the only person you know who has lost a parent is Adrien, and he didn’t turn out all that bad. You couldn’t have known Lila would be any different.” Nino reassured, giving her a side hug.

“ _All_ that bad? Gee, thanks for the compliment.” Adrien commented dryly, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

“You know what I mean, dude.” Nino nudged him in the stomach.

“Nino’s right, Alya! There’s no point in dwelling on it now, just focus on fixing it. Speaking of, how are you planning on getting her dad anyway?” Marinette curiously tilted her head to the side.

“Oh! Well you see, Lila told me her dad is a photographer, and photography isn’t too far from the journalists, you know, paparazzi, news outlets, and all that? So all I have to do is do an image search to find his social media handles. Then do a quick phone number search. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll tell him once I get in touch with him though… maybe you guys could help me with that?” Alya hinted, shining her best teeth smile as encouragement.

“Sure! We’d be glad to help!” Adrien agreed, speaking for all of them.

“Hmm… maybe we could tell him we need a photographer for a school project?” Nino suggested.

“No. There's no point in beating around the bush, I think we should just tell him the truth. That we know Lila, his daughter and we’re wondering if he would want to see her so they could talk or something.” Marinette interjected, wearing a determined face.

They all started brainstorming ways to get Lila and her dad to meet up, though it was hard, considering they had no idea where he even was. Even after Marinette’s mishap with Lila the other day, she still wanted to help Lila in any way she could. She’d just have to be extra careful. 

Tikki had insisted that Marinette take more precaution now when transforming or de-transforming in public, and she hadn’t actually scolded her as badly she thought the kwami would have.

As for helping Lila, well, Marinette felt kinda guilty for jumping the gun instead of hearing her out. But like she said before, there was no point in dwelling on it now. She just hoped they could get along with Lila after all the chaos that ensued.

  
  


\---

  
  


“So… what do you think, mom?” Lila asked her mother after telling her about wanting to get in touch with her father. She was wearing an unreadable expression so she couldn’t tell what her mom was thinking right now. They were on the sofa in their living room with their movie paused.

Miss Rossi stayed silent for a moment longer before finally speaking. “I understand you’re curious about what happened with your dad, so if this is what you wanna do, you have my full support.” The woman reached over to take Lila’s hand and gave it a little squeeze.

“Thanks, mom, you’re the best! I know it must be hard to hear and talk about dad, but is it okay if I ask you some questions about him before I see him?” Lila asked carefully.

“Of course, _mia bella_. Go ahead, you can ask me anything you want.” She looked at her daughter expectantly. It was times like this Lila was grateful her mom was as supportive as they came.

“Well, I guess my first question is, have you guys stayed in touch ever since… he left?” It was the first question that popped into her head being that she wanted to know if they were still on good terms after the situation.

“Um- kind of. We texted for a while, but they were mostly nothing but back and forth arguments. He’d also call every so often to see how you were doing, we’ve never met up though. I haven’t talked to him in quite a while.” 

It made Lila a bit more relieved to hear that her dad did actually care about her, which she didn’t completely doubt but the talk with Alya had her worrying a little. She felt kind of bad though, that he’d only call for the sake of his daughter, and not because he wanted to talk to Lila’s mom. “When was the last time you two talked then?”

“Pfft… it’s been over a year now. I’m sure he’s just been busy with photography commissions, I still keep up with his socials just to see how he’s doing.” She smiled sadly.

“So… where is he now?”

“He said he takes travel trips sometimes for photography opportunities, but he lives in Italy. He moved back to Italy when he first left so...”

Italy. Her mom had told her stories about when they lived in Italy. It’s where she was born. Lila had to take a minute to absorb all this new information coming her way. Once her mind was clear enough, she asked her hard-hitting question. “I still don’t really understand it… why did he leave?” It still pained Lila to ask, and she was sure it pained her mother to tell her, but she wanted- _no_. 

She _needed_ to know. 

It was the only way Lila could proceed with seeing her dad. She barely even remembered how he looked, and her mom hid pictures of him that Lila knew her mom definitely still had. She’ll have to ask about them later.

“It’s a complicated answer.” Her mom said simply before continuing. “Are you sure you want to hear _all_ of it? It’s okay if you don’t.”

Lila had never been more sure of anything. She nodded firmly. “I’m certain, mom. Please.”

“Well then,” Miss Rossi shifted on the sofa before speaking again. “Get comfortable, this might take a while.” The last time her mom told her something this serious, she was ten and was barely even able to comprehend what her mother was saying. It didn’t help that Miss Rossi kept the details of what happened with Lila’s dad as brief as possible. All she knew, or rather, what her mom told her, was that dad had decided to do things on his own. That they apparently had a spur of the moment argument where lots of hurtful comments were voiced from both her mom and her dad and ended in the latter leaving. Lila also got comfortable in her position, letting her mom tell her story.

“It started about a year after we moved to Paris. I think I already told you, but we moved because I had a job opportunity in Paris as an ambassador that I just couldn’t pass up, I was in my early twenties, 23 maybe? Money was tight and I just couldn’t decline. It was originally only supposed to last a couple of years, but I ended up extending it into a full-time job. Anyway, I was just over a year into my internship. Our bills were adding up because I was inexperienced so I didn’t get paid too much, and you already know your father was a photographer and he wasn’t hot on commissions at the time so you can imagine that we were in a bit of a pickle concerning money. We had a long argument one night when we were just barely able to pay the bills for the apartment.” The woman took a moment to look around the apartment like she was reliving her memories.

  
  


\---

  
  


**Flashback - 2010**

“I told you, Giovanni. You aren’t making enough commissions to support this family, a second job on the side would really help. It would only be temporary, _mio caro._ ” She said as softly as she could. 

“And I told you that I’ll get one soon. I want to complete the orders I have now so that I can have my attention fully on my other job and won't have to be stressing over completing commissions before deadlines. Not to mention the job application process can be a nightmare.” Gio explained, picking up their dinner dishes and walking over to the sink.

Ilaria sucked in a breath as she spoke. “ _Aiye_ , and you’re stressing _me_. It’s not that hard to take some time off to complete your commissions, you barely even have that many. Any job would understand if you told them you were working two.” She demanded speaking quickly.

“You overestimate the goodness of people, Il. The only reason I’m not getting enough orders is that we had to move. People recognized my work back in Italy, I’m more experienced to them and I get paid more. Here I’m just some newbie in the media industry. Being a photographer is not as easy as it sounds! Just give me some time, Ilaria. I don’t see you trying to get a second job to support this family either.” His voice was just barely getting louder, which instinctively made Ilaria raise her voice a little too.

“We don’t have as much time as you think we do, Gio. Our bills are every month! I can’t get a second job, I’m not trying to bite off more than I can chew. I might not be getting paid a lot right now but it’s still a handful. I’m not trying to get stressed out either, I'm doing all that I can to support us right now.”

“How are _you_ trying to not get stressed? You’re not the one dropping off and picking up our daughter from school every day on _top_ of work! You’re too busy with your stupid ‘embassy meetings’ that you have no time to even care for her.” Giovanni mockingly replied. 

“I told you I’m doing everything I can! I thought you said you supported my decision to get this job! It can get stressful too. If I had known moving was going to put you on a hiatus with your photography I wouldn’t have done it, and my ‘stupid embassy meetings’ pay the bills more than your stupid commissions! Not to mention that I’m the one paying for clothes, child supplies, phone bills, and half of the apartment bills! I even pack her lunches every morning. What do you pay for? The groceries, and half the apartment bills.” She crossed her arms defensively. She was now standing up from her chair and on the other side of the island where Gio was done washing the dishes and just gripping his hands on it tensely.

“That’s not as much as you make it out to be, the phone bills aren’t even that much. I pay for what I can, Il. You know that! At least I try to spend time with Lila, all the money in the world can’t buy memories, love, or affection. She wants to spend more time with you, if you actually took the time to get to know her, you would too!”

"All that money eventually adds up Gio! I'm trying to plan ahead into the future so that we don't end up on the streets broke or in debt. Or both! And with a child to take care of no less!"

"You're clearly not planning ahead of Lila’s future though, huh? All you care about is money, money, money! I would be better off back in Italy with my friends who actually support my career."

"Did you not hear anything I just said? You're twisting my words. I never said I don't support you, all I'm saying is you're not getting paid enough and there's absolutely no point in planning a future for Lila if there is none! The only way we can take care of her right now is to make sure she has a roof over her head and food on her table. We might not be able to buy love and affection but you know what money is a necessity for? Survival and health!"

"Maybe you're not thinking of her _mental_ health then! Can you imagine what she must think, how she'll feel when you aren't there for an important moment of her life because you're busy working? She'd be devastated!"

"Who said I'd be working my ass off for her whole childhood? An ambassador is a steady paying job that I'd be able to keep to support this whole family without having to work myself to the bone! If I work hard enough right now, I can get a good spot with good pay, and if I really wanted, I wouldn’t even need your help."

"Fine, then maybe I should just leave so I don't take up extra expenses if that's what you're so worried about!" Before Ilaria even had a chance to answer he stormed into their bedroom and eventually came out with a messy bag of belongings.

Her eyes widened when she saw him carrying a bag and hesitantly let him do what he pleased."I-If that's what you really want! Go ahead... leave us! You could go back to Italy where you're apparently much happier!" Giovanni slammed the front door on her last words, tears that filled both their eyes going unnoticed.

  
  


\---

  
  


"That was the last I ever saw him… I didn’t think he would actually- _actually_ leave. I thought he just needed to blow off some steam and come back after a few days. I tried calling him for weeks after he left but to no avail. He must’ve been really mad. Then once I got my act together I got really angry that he would even do such a thing… and I was the one ignoring his calls.” Miss Rossi, paused to wipe a few tears that were forming in her eyes. Lila couldn't help but wrap her mom into a tight hug. She was so brave for going through all this. “We hadn't ever talked again after that for years… until he reached out to see how you were doing. We texted a bit at first but we always seemed to be arguing after that. You can't blame me if I started the arguments… he freaking left us, you, _me_." Her voice cracked at the end and she couldn’t hold in her sobs anymore.

Lila let her mom soak her shirt with tears, holding the woman tightly into her chest. They sat like that for a few moments until Ilaria’s face dried up and she sat up to look at her daughter with glassy eyes. She took a deep breath and sighed. “Thank you, darling. I think I just needed a nice cry.” Ilaria smiled at her.

“I’m sorry, mom. I know that talking about dad is a really touchy subject for you. Now I know why, and it’s all my fault.” Lila began.

“Lila. What are you talking about it’s not-”

“I know what you’re gonna say already, ‘it’s not my fault’ but it is. I know you don’t blame me for dad leaving, but the fact is I am part of the reason he left, whether he realizes it or not.” Miss Rossi pondered it a moment but nodded. “Now I want to tell you how _I_ feel about _him_ . I love him, he’s my dad. He was really fun, the times that I barely remember with him. I’m sure you love him too. The thing is, he left us. That impacted me a lot now that I’m talking about it.” Lila paused for a moment to take a deep breath. She could feel her eyes begin to dampen. “It’s probably part of the reason I used to lie so much, I wanted more attention because I couldn’t get it from you guys anymore. I don’t blame him, but he is part of the reason I was disobedient and started lying to everyone, including _you_. I’m working through it now with the therapy sessions you had me take that I’m honestly so grateful for now, but I just wanted to put it out there. I love him, I really do, but he’s hurt me so much, that I resorted to lying for attention. I do have to take some responsibility, I did everything by my own means. I’m sorry about all of it, mom, I’m so sorry.” She sniffled, looking around the room and staring at the paused tv screen to avoid making eye contact with her mother.

Ilaria held her hand out to cup Lila’s cheek and gently urged the girl to look at her. “It’s okay, _mia preziosa._ We can talk about that later. What do you say we finish watching this movie first?” She gave her daughter a quick peck on her forehead and settled back into the couch to look for the remote.

“Of course, mom.” Lila agreed, smiling.

“Help me find the remote would you?”

“Why is the remote always missing?” 

“Don’t ask me that, _Bambina_. You’re the one who is always watching tv.” They chuckled together before finally finding it. The two enjoyed the rest of their movie and the rest of their night as well, momentarily forgetting the rest of their troubles.

  
  


\---

  
  


Deep breaths. That’s what Lila kept telling herself to do as she paced around her living room while waiting for her mom to get home. It was the next day, and her mom agreed to let her talk with her dad as soon as she got home from work. Lila had just gotten home from school and was expecting her mom to come home within the hour. That gave her enough time to mentally prepare herself to _see_ her dad. Of course, they were doing a video call, because he was still in Italy and had no idea they were going to call him, but she’s still going to see him. After years of forgetting how he looked, she would finally get to see and talk to him. What would she say? What would _he_ say? Suddenly everything she told Elle about had disappeared from her mind. Lila felt dizzy and stopped pacing around to go sit on the sofa.

Lila took a few more deep breaths until finally calming down. It was not good to be spiraling like this, she had to stay composed. She stood up with a persistent look on her face and walked to the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Quite appealing if she did say so herself, thick and voluminous brunette hair, fully pinned at the back with a ponytail and two smaller ones shaping her face. Dark green eyes that she was sure could rival a forest. She knew she got her eyes from her dad, considering mom had hazel brown eyes. Lila looked back at herself for a moment before closing her eyes and breathing in and out once more. She opened them again and began to practice. “Hi dad…” She spoke, hesitantly. No that wouldn’t do. She shook her head and tried again. “Hey, dad.” No, that was too confident, she was going to talk to her dad that _abandoned_ her like ten years ago. “Dad… hi?” No, no-no. How could she do this without making a fool of herself? 

After a while of contemplating with herself, Lila finally decided to just wing it. Whatever she was feeling in that moment, once she saw him was perfectly fine. Besides, her mom was going to be there to comfort her if she choked up or something, and Lila knew her mom would jump in, in a heartbeat if it meant making her daughter feel safe and comfortable again. It would be fine. Just fine, as long as dad wasn’t a douchebag now like Alya had guessed, it would turn out okay. With that mindset, she relaxed a little more and thought back to what Elle said she should talk about with her dad. 

_“The purpose of meeting him is to talk to him, not slander him. Got it? I know you’ll be feeling a lot of intense emotions once you see him, so try not to argue with your father and try as best as you can to work it out with him.”_

Lila probably wouldn’t have to worry about that, she decided. The only memories she had of her father were fairly good ones, so it would be hard to picture him as a bad person and get angry at him, or- at least, that’s what she hoped. Other than leaving them, Lila pondered more topics they could talk about. Mom, school, Paris, his photography. It felt like time passed so slowly for Lila, and she was growing antsy again. Until she finally heard the jingle of her mom’s keys on the other side of her front door.

“Lila, _mia preziosa!_ I’m back from work.” Ilaria chirped, setting her things down on the kitchen island. Time felt like it stopped at that very moment. It was time, Lila was going to talk to her dad.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila talks with her dad for the first time in years. Also, Ladybug tells Chat Noir about her little mishap with Lila.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! <3

Lila was set up at her dining table, she was facing the window so that her laptop was facing away from it. Waiting for her mother to get out of her work clothes and into some comfortable ones was no easy feat. She tried distracting herself by going on her phone, but it didn’t help much. Suddenly an akuma alert popped up on her screen, but Lila didn’t pay it much mind. She did think about the fact that it was _Marinette_ going out and fighting, risking her life for the sake of Paris. Huh, maybe she wasn’t that bad after all. 

Lila heard her mom’s footsteps and took it as a sign to put her phone away as she hesitantly opened up her laptop. After dozing off for a minute she glanced over her shoulder to see her mom watching over her while she finally pulled up the video call. "Whenever you're ready, Lila. No rush." Her mom smiled, patiently waiting after a while of Lila just sitting and staring at her computer screen. 

Lila sighed heavily and brought her phone out again to get her dad’s info from Alya. “Oh, wait. Mom, do you have dad’s contact number?”

“Hmm, I don’t know, but I thought you were going to video call him, not text?” Lila’s mom inquired and brought her phone out to check.

"Oh yeah, I was asking because Alya gave me his supposed number and I want to see if it’s the same as yours?” Lila asked nervously. She knew her mom had his number, she talked to him before so she had to have.

“Well… actually, I deleted it after a small argument we had over text…” Ilaria admitted sheepishly, giving her daughter a lopsided grin. “Don’t worry, I still have his social media handles, you can check there.” Miss Rossi reassured her daughter. After a few minutes of looking, they found his personal contact info.

"I-It's the same." Lila clenched her phone tighter as she did a double-take at her mom's phone just to be sure. Her mom laid a supportive hand on her shoulder which slightly eased her worries. She never would have thought she’d ever get to see her dad again, let alone talk to him. Was it weird that she wasn’t feeling as nervous as she thought she would have right now? Maybe it was because she knew her father, and there was no way he would have changed so drastically. 

Lila knew him. Or that’s what she hoped.

For all she knew, he could have turned into such a cold and cruel person. That’s kind of how Lila turned out, or what if he was the exact same man she knew as a kid? With a heart of gold and dumb dad jokes. The thought of either of those almost brought tears to her eyes.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll be right here with you." Ilaria pulled one of the chairs on the other side of the table to sit next to her daughter.

"Okay here goes nothing." She started the call, their faces were now showing in the corner of the screen. The call was dialing for a few seconds that felt like an eternity to Lila.

"Hello! Who is this..." The man on the screen trailed off once seeing the familiar woman on the edge of the screen, then looked back at the obviously younger girl. Giovanni, if Lila remembered correctly, seemed to be outside in nice scenery. "I- um... Is this, are you-" He was cut off by a deep voice yelling at him in Italian. He said something back she couldn’t exactly translate and looked back at them. “Hold on, girls. Let-Let me get somewhere private. I’ll only be a minute.” He looked tense and stared at the camera, surprise and worry evident in his eyes before he turned his camera off.

After a few minutes, he turned his camera on once again. There he was clear as day, in a car which was much quieter, looking just like she pictured him. Her memories of her dad from so long ago were forming a clearer image now. Lila’s words caught in her throat, but she forced herself to speak anyway. She couldn’t get cold feet now, she had to say something. “Dad…? It’s me. Lila.”

“Lila, oh my god. i-it, it’s you. Holy crap, you’ve grown so much… you’d be...” Giovanni stared at her with his hand covering his mouth, he mentally counted the years to put together how old she was which only made his eyes grow more in disbelief. “Y-You’re 14… My d-daughter is a-a, a teenager.” His voice trembled and his eyes were glassy. “So… so, how are you, how have you been?” 

“I’m doing-” Lila slowly dropped her smile and perky tone. She was about to tell him she was doing great, but she couldn’t lie to him. Everything was not great, far from it actually. She sighed. “Well, I’ve been better. Things have been… complicated recently.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry to hear that…” Giovanni mumbled something angrily to himself that Lila couldn’t hear but guessed what it could be and started fidgeting with her hands. Guess it was time to talk about it.

“Dad… I’m glad we’re talking but... I want to admit something. I-I’m not sure how to say this but,'' She gulped before speaking again. “I’ve felt so incomplete without you in my life. I hear everyone talk about their families at school, how great their parents are, and all I can do is lie. I lie to them because I don’t want people to see me differently. You’ve shaped my life in ways I can’t even begin to describe, and... it hurt. It still hurts. It hurts more now that I get to meet you after not knowing you for a whole decade.” Lila paused to look up from her lap to make eye contact with him. “My heart started aching ever since you left, it was like part of it was missing and it’s never stopped hurting.” Lila felt tears run down her cheeks and saw that he was tearing up too. She tilted her head away and closed her eyes. Lila was afraid she was going to break down crying if she looked at him right now. 

She couldn’t have possibly known it was going to hurt this bad, but after seeing him, after talking to him, the hurt suffocated her. Her heart ached and not in a good way. It felt like a dam had been broken, and a flood of emotions filled her all at once. Some good, some bad, all were very strong feelings. It also didn’t help that her dad was also emotional about meeting her. At least she knew he wasn’t the type of man to hide his emotions or be afraid to cry in front of others. Both Lila’s parents stayed silent, giving Lila a chance to proceed.

“Mom already told me about why, and how you left. I just, I want to hear it from you. I want to hear you admit to what you did." Lila wasn't blaming him by any means. Mom had made sure to not refer to herself as the victim in the situation because they both argued and both came to the conclusion in a heap of angry and unthought-out hurry. 

“I am terribly sorry, Lila. Nothing I say will heal the burden I’ve bared on you. I never intended on leaving but… but I did. I was blindsided by my emotions and wasn’t thinking of how my actions would have affected y-you or even your mother at the time. We had a heated argument and I thought I was doing what was best for you, but instead, it was painful and h-hurt you. I-I will never forgive myself for it. I am truly sorry. I hope I can make it up to you eventually." Her dad sniffed, swiping his hands at his damp eyes.

Lila knitted her brows in thought. She wanted to start yelling at him, how could he say he's sorry? That was such a lousy apology, she thought. Was he really saying that after all these years he had somehow learned how the two people that loved him most at some point, hell, still love him, were affected after he _left_ them? Did he really think he knew what the repercussions for leaving his family were? And if that was the case why didn’t he think of reaching out to them? Or more specifically, Lila, considering he talked to mom for a brief while. Lila wanted to tell him how much she needed him, she needed his comfort to get through elementary school. Giving her the courage she needed to start making friends. To cheer her on when she passed a test. Even scold her for making a classmate cry, or cutting off another girl's ponytail in anger. (Definitely not Lila’s best moment,) She would have given anything to see his protectiveness as she grew up and started having crushes. Just having him there to teach her discipline and responsibility would have been enough. Oh, how she just wanted to yell and scream at him for being so naive. Lila softened and took a few more deep breaths. He was hurting too. Of course, he was, he just met his little girl who was now a grown teenager, and her mother, the love of his life, who he left nearly a decade ago because of a dumb argument. He didn’t want to leave, it was just a heat of the moment decision. Besides, looking at him now, he seemed like he was _filled_ with regret and guilt. So, instead Lila just quietly told him off. She just wasn't willing to be on bad terms with him. She had him in her life now, that's all that mattered to her.

"I know, I hope you can too. I really want to be able to bond with you the way we used to. I’m not gonna lie though, I thought it would be easier, but now feeling how I feel, It’ll take some time to earn my trust back.” Of course, she was willing to give him a second chance, he was her dad after all, but that didn’t mean she would be able to trust him just as quickly or easily, second chances need to be earned.

“I can understand that.” He sighed. “Well, I have a few more minutes of my break left. How have you been, Lila? Anything new happening in your life?” She mentally rolled her eyes. New to you, that’s for sure, Lila thought.

“You’d be disappointed in me, dad…” She looked away from the screen, looking for anything else to distract her. Hmm, yes, this wooden floor here is very… wood-y.

“I won't be, besides, I'm sure whatever you've done isn't as bad as me leaving you guys.” He looked at her with regret in his eyes. “If you think I’m gonna judge you, I won’t. Anything that you did would be partly my fault anyway.” That seemed to give Lila the little push she needed to speak up.

“I'm a bad person, dad. I've hurt so many people, sometimes it was on purpose too. I've manipulated and lied to _so_ many people. Have you heard of a villain named Hawk Moth? I've teamed up with him, I took advantage of people. I was just like him! You should be so disappointed in me, I’ve even been a terrible daughter to mom.” Lila closed her eyes, feeling a new set of fresh tears coming on.

“Woah, woah-woah. When did I say that? You're not terrible, _mia bella_ , you're perfect. Sure you had a few bumps on the way but that's okay. You live, you learn, you grow. You're in the learning stage, Lila. Your therapy has been a tremendous part of that.” Her mom shook her shoulder gently to get Lila’s attention then smiled softly at her.

“You really think so?” Of course, her mom would say that she wanted to make sure her daughter was happy, but it still gave Lila a glimmer of hope.

“I know so.” Ilaria pulled Lila in to give her a side hug. “Lila, I know I’m always working and I might not have spent a lot of time with you but… I want that to change, okay? You deserve all the love in the world, and I am always more than happy to give it to you, and if you want to keep talking to your dad I'm certainly not stopping you. It’s just gonna... take some getting used to.” She gave her daughter a kiss on the temple before pulling away and looking at the man on screen apprehensively. 

“I completely understand.” He nodded sadly. As tension filled the silence, he spoke again to say goodbye. “I guess I’ll talk to you later then… bye Lila, Ilar-”

“Wait! Umm- mom, is it okay if we talk just a little more? Dad said he still had a bit more time left before his break ends, right?” Lila abruptly cut him off. She was on edge and jittery after meeting him and speaking to him for the first time in years, but that only gave her more reason to want to talk to him. 

“Yeah, of course… I’ll just go watch some tv then, let me know if you need anything.” Miss Rossi stood up from her seat and stretched a little until leaving her daughter to talk with Gio.

“Do-Do you think I’m a bad person, dad? I wouldn’t blame you, I've done far worse things than just abandoning someone close to me. I just wanted revenge, and then I found out what it’s like to be manipulated, and lied to. I’ll never do that again, I promise.” Lila shook her head more to herself than anything. She had found out how it felt, to be betrayed by someone she thought she could trust. Gabriel Agreste was a formidable ally, she thought she was just gonna play him like a flute to get what she wanted at the time, which was his son, and in return she would protect Adrien from "bad influence" Marinette. But then, he was the one who betrayed her. How could she have been so stupid? She heard him talking to his assistant once, telling her that once he got what he wanted from Lila, he’d just act all nice and let her participate in the photoshoots or whatever she wanted as long as she wasn’t a pest so she didn’t get suspicious of anything, which quite frankly, confused Lila. What would he do that would make her get suspicious? And how could he just treat her like she was nothing but an object to use then throw away afterwards? Was that how everybody she hurt felt when she manipulated and lied to them too ? If it was... Lila would never want anyone to feel like that on purpose ever again.

It seemed Giovanni caught on to her spiraling because he suddenly spoke, cutting through her thoughts. “It’s okay, Lila… I know I wasn’t there to see anything but your mom says you’re learning how to be better. I do have to apologize, I was too busy worrying about my life that I had completely forgotten about how much of an impact I could truly make on yours. I hold myself completely accountable for not being there for you.”

“Don’t blame yourself, dad, I don’t. Let’s just focus on spending time together. What’s done is done, and we can’t do anything about it except move on and do better in the future. Can we do that?” If there was anything that Lila learned in therapy, it was that you shouldn’t hold grudges against good people who made stupid mistakes. Not only that, but she cared about her dad dearly.

“Of course, I promise to do better from now on.” Giovanni vowed, wearing a serious look of determination.

“Great, me too, let’s hope you keep your promises.” She smiled contently. “So, how is Italy, is it as great as mom says it is?” Lila changed the subject.

“Oh, yes. It is quite exquisite if I do say so myself. You guys should really come to visit sometime. I’m sure you’ll love the atmosphere here, Lila.”

“I’m sure I would, and I’m sure you’d love the scenery here in Paris, I know you stayed for about a year, but the views have gotten even more beautiful, and you could probably get some great pictures at the parks. If you do visit maybe we can go to the zoo together sometime, or go to the museum. Oh! Maybe you and mom could go to Andre’s ice cream together…” Lila looked towards her mother’s direction with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she continued to talk to her dad.

“Yes, maybe so. That sounds lovely, Lila.” Giovanni smiled at his daughter with pride as she kept chatting. 

“Have you heard the legend of his ice cream? It says that whoever shares their ice cream at Andre’s together will be in love forever.” Lila gave him a wink as she turned the camera towards her mom who was watching tv with a warm smile on her face that made her dad blush a little. Lila chuckled at the sight, maybe Lila’s family did still have a chance to mend their bond, no matter how long and bumpy the road ahead of them was.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Hey, Chat! Before you go, there’s something I need to tell you.” Ladybug pulled Chat Noir’s tail just as he was about to vault off onto another roof. This was it, it was time to rip the bandage off and tell him that Lila knows her identity.

“Oh, sure. What is it LB?” He turned back around and gave her a quizzical look.

“Umm, there is no easy way to say this, I’ll just tell it to you straight. Someone accidentally found out my identity.” She fidgeted with her yoyo string as she told him.

“ _What_! Who?” He subconsciously looked around even though they were on a rooftop where no one could hear them at a normal voice level.

“Lila Rossi…” His eyes only seemed to get bigger at the name.

“Wow... how did it happen?” Chat looked at her with concern etched on his face.

"Well... I was coming back from an akuma attack and I was going to the same place as Lila. She caught me detranforming there.”

“Did anybody else see you?”

“No, don’t worry. I was in a pretty secluded area, she just happened to be going to the same place as me. It also happened mid-day, so most people were probably in school or at work.”

“That’s good, I guess. What’s gonna happen then?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m the guardian now though, so I guess I don’t have to give up being Ladybug. I’m sorry, Chaton. I just… didn’t know what to do and you're the only person I can trust with this type of information.”

“It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine, bugaboo. Thanks for telling me. I have a date though,” He winked cheekily, which only resulted in her rolling her eyes at him with a smile. “Let me just reschedule it and we’ll meet back at the Eiffel Tower?” He looked at her expectantly so Ladybug gave him a hesitant nod before zipping off in the other direction to go reschedule her date too. She hated interrupting Chat Noir’s civilian life because of some silly mistake of hers. She really had to make it up to him one of these days for all the stuff he put up with because of her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien officially become a couple. Lila finally gains closure over her father leaving when they talk it out together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Ladybug zipped off to an alleyway where she was sure nobody would see her before her transformation was released. Marinette reached her hand out for Tikki to plop down onto and reached into her purse to take out her phone and a spare macaroon to feed to Tikki. Marinette took a glance at the time, _4:36,_ it read. That meant about an hour and a half before her date with Adrien. She dialed his number, but it went to voicemail.

[Adrien: Hey, this is Adrien’s voicemail, leave a message!]

“Hi, Adrien! I’m so sorry, but I’m gonna be a little late for ice skating. I have to- um… help my parents in the bakery, rush hour, and all that. I’ll try not to take too long. Again, I’m so sorry, I’ll try to make it up to you by giving you some extra baked goods in class next week, bye!” She saved it and put her phone away again. She stood there for another minute until Tikki finished her treat then Marinette quickly transformed again and zipped up into the sky to meet with her partner.

After a few minutes of running on rooftops, she finally made it to the Eiffel Tower where Chat Noir was already waiting. “Happy to see you, LB.” He gave her a two-fingered salute and began to sit down so his legs were dangling off the platform.

“You too, Chat.” She sat down beside him and continued talking. “So, how do you feel about Lila knowing my identity?” Ladybug already knew the answer but asked anyway. Of course, he must feel betrayed somehow, some random girl knows his partner’s identity and the person she’s worked with her whole superhero career, the person she trusts with her life doesn’t, of course, he would be mad.

“Honesty? I don’t know, I just feel frustrated you know? Like I know why we can’t know each other’s identity, trust me. We’ve both seen firsthand the things Hawk Moth is capable of. It just stings to know that a civilian you don’t even trust that much knows who you are behind the mask and _I_ don’t.” Chat expressed with hurt.

“I know Chat, I know. It’s not like I don’t want to know your identity too, sometimes I get curious, but we need this nightmare to be over first before we do anything like that. I just don’t want to jeopardize you, your family and friends, or me or my family and friends. You trust me, don’t you? I just couldn’t imagine losing you... ” Ladybug fought back the tears that were forming in her eyes. She had countless sleepless nights of imagining the worst, of imagining Chat akumatized...

“Of course I do, I put my trust in you every time we fight an akuma, Ladybug.”

“I know. It scares me sometimes, not knowing if I’ll be able to save you… if I’ll see you again.” She shivered at the thought, hugging herself to try to lessen the aching.

“I- Wow... I’m so sorry LB, I never thought of it like _that_.” Chat Noir turned to wrap her in his arms as a few tears escaped her eyes. Ladybug felt the warmth of his embrace and welcomed it, trying to fight any memory of that cold and isolated forgotten future. They sat there like that for a bit, with companionable silence until they eventually went their separate ways.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Phew! That didn’t take as long as I thought it would. C’mon, Plagg we’re almost there.” Adrien ducked out of the alley that was already nearby the ice rink and walked ahead of Plagg who was still munching his cheese.

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Gimme a moment of peace to eat comfortably before you and your girlfriend get all gross and mushy, would you?”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Plagg. At least not yet. I was actually hoping to ask her today. You think she’ll say yes?”

“Well, let’s see. You two are practically already a couple with how many gross dates you’ve been on, you also text all the time, it’s so _annoying_. Not to mention that she confessed her feelings for you, so I think it’s safe to say that your answer is…” He paused a moment to swallow his second cheesy treat before continuing. “Yes, Of course!” Plagg rolled his eyes.

“Adrien!” Adrien jumped, hearing Marinette call his name from behind him.

“Quick, Plagg!” Adrien hissed quietly at his kwami to fly into his bag, before hastily turning around to focus his attention on his date. “Oh- uh, hey Marinette…” He gulped and gave her an unsure smile, not only because she almost caught him with a kwami, but also because he was genuinely a bit nervous to ask her to be his girlfriend.

“I’m so sorry… I’m… late!” Marinette skidded to a stop and rested her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. “Sorry I’m kind of late I-I had a situation at the bakery. I left you a voicemail, did you get it?” Marinette asked him after they both settled down.

“Oh, yeah! Don’t worry about it, I just got here, barely even waited that long.” He shrugged. “C’mon let’s not waste another minute, shall we?” He swiftly opened the door for her with a bow, earning a giggle out of her.

“Adrien! Welcome back, glad to see you again so soon!” Philipe hummed approvingly as he led them to the chairs so they could put on their skates. The last time they went to the ice rink was with Nino and Alya, and it was a blast. The place had quite a lot more people than the first time they’d been. “Oh, I remember this young lady, you two came here with a couple of others if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yep! That’s me, Marinette.” She waved energetically with a smile so bright it could rival the stars. The duo sat down and began talking as they put their skates on. “So, Adrien. What kept you busy? You know, cuz’ you said you arrived just before me, so you were a little late too?”

“What? Oh, yeah! The photoshoot ran on a little longer than usual, that’s all.”

“Oh, okay.” Marinette dusted herself off quickly before standing up. “You ready?”

“Yeah… I guess so. Let’s go!” Adrien stood up as well, and took her hand in his without warning, and led her onto the ice, causing her to squeak the way she usually did when she was startled. “Oh! Sorry! I should have asked before holding your hand-” Adrien apologized profusely, backing his hand away to stop from making her any more uncomfortable. 

He was shocked to feel her squeeze his hand gently, pulling him slightly closer to her. “N-No, it’s okay! I don’t mind. I-I um… I like holding your hand, it’s soft.” So she really did like holding hands? Adrien felt his cheeks grow hot at the remark. 

Soon, they were on the ice rink skating together, still holding each other’s hands which made Adrien feel all warm and tingly inside. _Oh god._ How could he find the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend when his heart wouldn’t stop fluttering uncontrollably. Could she hear how fast his heart was beating right now?

_“Get it together, kid! If you keep spacing out, the poor girl's gonna think you lost interest!”_ His subconscious reminded him, sounding _eerily_ similar to Plagg. Oh right.

“So, when was the last time you came to the ice rink?” Adrien asked as they skated side by side together.

“Hmm… I think the last time I came here was with Nino, Alya and ‘Anansi.’ I remember Nora didn’t know how to skate, she said it was ‘A wimpy and fake sport.’ The three of us were laughing the whole time.” Marinette burst out laughing. “What about you? When was the last time you came to the ice rink?” She asked after a bit of laughing.

“Let’s see… the last time I came to the ice rink was with Nino and the rest of the boys. We met up at Nino’s place and his little brother, Chris was nagging about how he wanted to come too. The little one can be a bit…”

“Of a handful? Yes, I know. I’ve babysat him once by myself, never again.” They both started giggling, unable to contain their laughter. A few others nearby looked at the two weirdly but they paid it no mind. 

“I always wondered what it was like to have a brother or sister, but maybe it’s for the best that I don’t, seeing as Nino complains a lot about privacy and how _annoying_ they are.” Adrien rolled his eyes good-naturedly and put a hand over his mouth to cover the laughs that escaped.

“Alya says the exact same thing! She’s always telling me that even Nora constantly annoys her and teases Alya and Nino about how stupid in love they are with each other-” Marinette snickered loudly, making her lose balance which was already kind of hard while skating. “W-Woahh!”

Adrien quickly moved in front of her to take her other hand and keep her balanced, feeling how warm her hands felt against his. He nearly collapsed himself just from the touch. He felt very stupid with love right now too, if he was being honest. “You okay?”

“Y-Yes. I’m fine, don’t worry.” Marinette smirked slyly. “I guess that's karma for laughing at them.” She held back another lively laugh of hers that made a foolishly silly look of adoration spread across his face. She looked so cute laughing like that, every inch of her face read happy and it made his heart soar. His gaze never faltered, and eventually, his eyes drifted from her eyes down to her lips. They looked so soft and smooth, a beautiful peach pink… He found himself wondering how it would feel to press his lips against hers. Would it be just as good as he imagined it? Adrien shook those thoughts away, maybe right now was as good a time as any to ask her. They were still skating face to face with their hands interlocked, and she didn’t pull away. That was a good thing right? Adrien had to skate backward because of their position now but he didn’t mind at all. He suddenly felt grateful for the extra practice as Chat Noir or else he might not have been able to keep up

“You know, Marinette.” Adrien started, getting ready to finally ask her. “I’ve known you for almost two years now, you’re the kindest person I know, so smart and funny, and I’ve loved getting to know you and being your friend. But…” He noticed her cheeks turned rouge with a blush.

“Oh no… this can’t be good, these kinds of talks never end well with but’s.” She looked at him apprehensively.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. At least I hope not.” He continued with his previous train of thought. “Anyway, like I said I’ve loved being your friend and getting to know you the past year and a half, but… I don’t want to be _just_ friends anymore. I want to be so much more, I want to be able to hug you and cuddle with you, I want to be vulnerable with you and share everything with you.” Well… almost everything, he thought to himself. “I want to spend time with you, a-and I want to kiss you _so_ badly. Marinette, will you please be my girlfriend?”

“Wow… I- hehe, I definitely wasn’t expecting that.” Marinette chuckled awkwardly and slowly nodded. “Y-Yeah. Yes, I-I would love to be your girlfriend.” Adrien inwardly sighed in relief and tightened his grip on Marinette’s hands, using her clumsiness as an excuse to feel the warmth that Marinette sparked in him. “What-what are you doing that for?”

“Wouldn’t want you to slip again, right?” He winked cheekily, making her blush more. 

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not _always_ that clumsy. In fact, I can be majestic, watch this.” Marinette abruptly let go of one of his hands and balanced herself on one leg, persuading him to do the same. She put both her feet on the ground again and twirled him for a second before lifting him up in the air. Wow, she was surprisingly strong for such a petite girl. He’ll keep that in the back of his mind for future reference. She slowly spun him in the air. He felt so graceful and light in the air, was this how Nino felt when he did his big ballet finish? He’d never laugh at his friend again. The thing that really piqued Adrien’s interest though was when Marinette led him down from the air and dipped him. “Not so clumsy now, am I?” She winked at him in mock. 

Now Adrien was the one blushing furiously and it only reddened further when she leaned in to lock lips with him. Once his shock wore off, he quickly leaned into the kiss. It sent goosebumps throughout his whole body, her lips felt so loving and gentle against his. Adrien was still filled with astonishment, even after they parted. He definitely wasn’t expecting Marinette to _kiss_ him like that out of the blue, but that stubborn, confident kindness is what he loved so much about her.

  
  


\---

  
  


“We've been talking, I think we're getting along nicely! I mean- it was a slow start at first, but I'm starting to get more comfortable talking to him, so that’s a good sign.”

“Very good Lila! I’m glad you’re getting more comfortable talking to your dad. How many times a week would you say you usually talk now?”

It was about two weeks since she first talked to her dad, and they had started talking ever since. It wasn't that often, but Lila had started to look forward to their little conversations. "Maybe… 2-3 times a week? Depends on how busy we are, really. Sometimes it reaches 4.”

"Oh, that is great to hear. What do you usually talk about?"

She had gotten more used to talking to him but there were still those awkward silences that would occur when they just joined the call, when they were about to say goodbye or even when they ran out of conversation topics and decided to call it a day. “Things like how our days are going, our favorite food, movies, hobbies, etc. He's asked me about what I want to do as a career, I've asked him how his photography is going. Sometimes we plan about visiting each other, things like that.”

“Ah, okay. Do you two still have… difficult conversations? You know, about him leaving, or the things you’ve done?” Difficult was an understatement. They had a couple of those talks but they were few and hardly lasted long.

“Well, yea. I guess so, but they don’t last very long, seeing as we’re both very stubborn and don’t really like talking about it. We’re just trying to move on.”

“Lila. Let me clarify when I told you I want you guys to move on, I meant I wanted you to get your feelings out there, talk about them. Once you both know how you feel you can move on. You’re both good people who made _irreversible_ mistakes, which means you should acknowledge them, not push those mistakes away and act like they never happened. It’s better to do that sooner rather than later. Once you've talked about it, then it’s a lot easier to move on. As if a weight is being lifted off your shoulders.”

Lila heaved a long and shaky sigh. She knew that already, but it was still hard to do it. She couldn’t just bring it up in conversations like that, it wasn’t something to take lightly. “That’s easier said than done, Elle. I can’t just- just blurt it out. How would he even react to that?”

“That isn’t such a bad idea, it’s better to just get straight to the point. Otherwise, you’ll never truly know how he’ll react or feel.”

“I guess so… but-”

“Nope. No, if’s, and’s or but’s. You have to talk about it eventually, and stalling won’t help anything.” Lila gave a quick and irritated sigh. Damn it, the woman was right. She hated when Eleanor was right.

“Fine. I’ll talk to him about our garbage baggage. Better to get it over with I guess.” She rolled her eyes, annoyed at the newfound predicament. Elle gave Lila a moment of silence to process her thoughts and began typing furiously on her laptop.

What would she even say, Lila thought to herself. ‘Oh dad, by the way. I’m still angry at you because you ruined my life and made me a terrible person because you left me. How do you feel about _me_?’ Where was Lawful when Lila needed her… it would be so much easier to just lock up her emotions again. 

_No_ , that wouldn’t do. It would just be a short term solution in the long haul. Okay, her only option was to tell her dad. Maybe the things he truly felt would balance out her feelings. Yeah, she would be okay with that.

For the remainder of the session, Elle put some background music on as she continued to fill her notes with whatever nonsense they talked about just before.

  
  


\---

  
  


“So, honey. You said you… go to therapy? How has that helped you?” Oh god, she wasn’t ready. This was her opening, and it was so early into their conversation too. They had just joined the call, they had a good laugh and she had to talk about this _now_? It was better to do this before mom got back from work though. Well, shit, no backing out now.

“Oh! It… has helped me in ways I can’t even explain. It’s this time for me to talk about anything I want, I can even just break down crying if I need to. It’s helped me when I couldn’t talk to _anyone_ , especially because you weren’t there.” Lila hesitated for a bit which gave Giovanni a chance to speak.

“I’m sorry, Lila-”

“No. Don’t, dad. I know you are. Speaking of therapy… my therapist, well she told me we need to- umm… speak the truth?”

“The truth? What haven’t you told me, dear? You can tell me anything.” He looked at her with worried eyes.

“Well… I think I speak for both of us when I say, I haven’t been completely honest with what I think, how I feel about you. No more secrets or lies. I would love to have a clean slate, to have a normal conversation with you without having to worry about avoiding certain topics.” It was super hard to say, but Lila said it none-the-less.

Lila’s dad opened his mouth a few times trying to say something but found his words after a while. “You’re right. I just want you to know before we do get everything out in the open, that I love you so much, and I’m extremely proud of the headstrong, and independent young woman you’ve become.”

“I know, I love you too.” She started. Nothing says I love you like honesty, right? Even if it was brutal honesty. “You shaped me into the person I am today, whether it was because of good or bad, maybe both.”

“What do you mean by that?” She had a feeling Giovanni already had an inkling of what she meant, but she explained anyway.

“When you left us, left me. It brought my guard up, it made me headstrong because my opinions of things changed drastically and never changed again. Not having you there forced me to do things myself, in my own way. Whether it was morally right or not. I wanted to spite you, make you know that I became the way I was because of you. I know it was wrong, but that’s how I felt at the time. A part of me, deep inside, still kind of feels that way. I don’t want to, I really don’t but I can’t help it. Therapy has helped me tremendously in acknowledging my feelings, making amends, and forgiveness so I just wanted to make sure you are aware of them too. I hope you're not mad at me…”

Giovanni let his daughter's words sink in for a minute until a realization struck him. “Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?”

“Because I don't see you as the perfect dad you always wanted me to see you as.”

“While I am disappointed about that, I could never be mad at you for something like that. You have your opinions and views, as do I, and I won’t stop you from expressing them if that's what you so desire.”

“Well then, mind expressing yours?” Lila stared at her dad on her screen intently as she waited for him to speak.

After a bit of contemplating on his part, Gio finally spoke. “I always pictured this perfect family of three, we lived here in Italy and I would show you the process of making photography commissions, and you'd get mementos of it because- well I’m a photographer, we photograph things.” He smiled wistfully. “But then we had you at such an unexpectedly young age, 18 maybe 19, and… well, Ilaria’s parents didn't like that very much and kicked her out so we stayed with my parents for a while until Ilaria got that job internship a few years after we had you and we moved to Paris. I’m sure she told you that it didn't even last a year before we started arguing about the bills all the time. Then it stopped being about the bills, and instead, it was our stupid mistakes, and our communication was lost somewhere along the way and eventually, the excuse for our arguments was… you. I know it was wrong to bring you into them, but I spoke nothing but the truth. I know now that it was such a dumb idea, and I should have seen it from her perspective but I just wasn’t thinking about that at the time, I was filled with my own turmoil and completely forgot about what she might have been feeling.”

“Oh. So… you’re saying I’m a mistake?”

“No! No-no, you misunderstood. I said you were unexpected, that doesn’t mean we didn’t want you, we just weren’t ready at the time. _I_ wasn't, at least, I didn’t even have a proper job at the time, so as soon as you were born I started taking commissions so that I could start earning money. It was a sluggish start, but eventually, I had lots of people wanting commissions, even a few well-known people in our city. But then-”

“But then mom had that internship in Paris as an ambassador.”

“Yes, all my hard work went... down the drain, so you can imagine why I was quite upset. There was a while where I even blamed her for having to move to Paris and abandon my career that was _just_ beginning to take off. Eventually, I realized she needed to pursue her own career too, if anything she even insisted on making sure I was comfortable with going with her to Paris, and I still went because I didn’t want to leave you guys alone. How ironic.” Giovanni rolled his eyes and chuckled bitterly. “In retrospect, it’s nobody’s fault, I suppose the world just gave us a tough time.” 

That made sense. Sure, mom didn't try to sound like the victim in her story, but she did leave out a lot of details that only Gio could have known. That actually explained his thought process and motives for why he left in the first place. Huh, maybe Elle was right for wanting us to talk it out, Lila pondered. “Yea… I guess it did. On the bright side now we can begin to move on, and hopefully see each other again soon.” Lila gave him a hopeful smile.

“What about your mom? I’ve only seen her like twice since we started talking and she didn’t look very happy to see me. Who could blame her, I haven’t talked to her in over a year, and we didn’t end it on a good note either. I’m not sure she’ll forgive me for all the horrible things I said.”

“She feels just as guilty about saying that stupid stuff. Also… between me and you, I heard she still has feelings for you. It might not be easy, but I can help rebuild your bond, and maybe strengthen ours too?”

“That sounds absolutely lovely, _mia bella_.” Giovanni beamed. It truly did feel like a weight was lifted off their shoulders as the two continued talking. Their conversation somehow felt- lighter, that uneasy tension that always hung in the air was slowly but surely dissipating. Lila couldn’t wait for when things would finally go back to normal, and she could be happy with her family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is (technically) the end! I hope you've enjoyed Lila's journey! (and a bit of Adrinette fluff along the way too;>) There will actually be an Epilogue coming, just to tie off a few loose ends and conclude the story. Thanks for reading! <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a year, Lila gets settled into her new life and is presented with a life-changing opportunity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just know that this final chapter is quite short. I wasn't expecting it, but I think it's a good ending. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it greatly!
> 
> Enjoy! <3

**1 Year Later**

“The English language can be very weird at times. It's very confusing. Like for example, why do they use salty as a word to describe people? Look here, according to this site it means: Angry, upset, or hostile, especially due to embarrassment or failure. So why is it that, out of everything they choose salt as that?” Lila and her parent’s sat at their new dining table eating breakfast as Lila and her father had a friendly quarrel.

“Well… because it’s a metaphor, dad.”

“Yeah, obviously. I mean, why did they choose to use salt? They could have used anything… like uhh-” Giovanni looked around the dining table and noticed his wife eating the sandwich that she made for herself with the distasteful condiment. “Mustard. They could say that someone is mustardy.” Lila burst out laughing at the analogy which consequently made her dad chuckle a bit too. “I’m serious. Don’t laugh.”

“No, dad. You can’t use mustard. It doesn’t fit the definition.”

“To hell, it doesn’t. Mustard can be spicy, and it’s very strong, so people who are mustardy could very well be described as the same definition of salty. Tell me I’m wrong?”

“Okay… well, ‘mustardy’ doesn’t have a ring to it, salty is short and catchy. Mustardy just… isn’t.”

“That’s your opinion dear, simply because we’ve been using salty our entire lives so we get used to it, and like it better.”

“Yeah, but my reasons still apply, even Grammarly says that some things are wordy and hard to read, that is exactly what mustardy is.”

“O-kay, you two. Let’s wrap up your nonsense of a conversation, okay? Gio, why don’t you help me with the dishes? Lila needs to go get ready for her first day at her new school anyway, right?” Ilaria excitedly reminded her daughter.

“I mean I still have plenty of time but… yeah you’re right. Wouldn’t wanna be late on my first day.” Lila took a glance at her phone to see that she still had a handful of time before the first bell rang.

Lila and her mom just moved back to Italy a couple of months ago where their dad was after a long while of contemplating, but Lila was thrilled because it meant she’d get to start fresh, instead of being the liar at Francoise-Dupont, she could make new friends and actually have a chance at a normal life. She didn’t really have anything waiting for her in Paris anyway. She did have to give up talking to her favorite, albeit the _only_ therapist though, but Elle assured her that she was long ready to stop going to therapy. Lila still had her email though, just to check up on her every so often or in case she ever needed to talk to the woman.

Lila went back to her bedroom and took her school bag before greeting her parents goodbye. “Have a lovely day, _bambina_!” Her parents each gave her a peck on the cheek before she waved to them and left the apartment. Her school was a bit farther away than her last school, but still a walking distance. 

\---

She pondered what the new teachers there would be like as she walked. Would they be as nice as Mrs. Bustier, or as good of a teacher as Mrs. Mendeleev, even if she was kind of snarky all the time? It was always such a pain to be the new kid at a school, especially high school. Just imagining having to deal with some idiotic school drama gave her a headache. Ugh, would there be someone as _pompous_ as Chloe? She tried not to think of that, as she neared her school. She checked her phone again to see that she’d be arriving a bit early, that would be fine- 

“Wahhk!” Someone was suddenly pulling her into an alleyway and shushing her. “Oh right, sorry for yelling when I’m being kidnapped. Get your hands off me or I’ll call the police!” Lila told the weird stranger off as she tried not to be intimidated by them. It was a tall wrinkly-faced woman with long dark hair that only just began to have gray highlights in it. The mysterious woman wore a traditional dark red and gold accented long sleeve qipao dress that reaches mid-thigh with a symbol on the front, and golden shorts to match it that reached her calves. She also wore an old and decently sized messenger bag that seemed to be stuffed with something Lila couldn’t quite tell what it was.

“I am not here to kidnap you. We don’t have much time, let me explain.” The elderly woman corrected sternly.

“You’re right, I don’t have much time. So quickly, why don’t you tell me why you, a random stranger, have taken me into a dark alley for nobody to see?”

“This must be a secret, young one. That’s why. Nobody must ever know about our existence, it’s a danger to all holders out there.” She warned as she reached into her bag and took out something. A small wooden box, in the shape of a… three, four, five a pentagon? It was a golden color with red accents. “We’ve been watching you for a while here in Italy and decided you were right for the job, we are the Great Guardian of the Miraculous. We travel everywhere and anywhere, sometimes for retrieving Miraculous and sometimes for giving them. Trouble is always arising with reckless civilians endangering themselves, robberies, just crime in general and we need someone to take care of their beloved city. Lila Rossi, this is the Miraculous of the chameleon, which grants the power of camouflage. You will use it for the greater good. Can we trust you?” Lila didn’t even have to think about it as she nodded with determination, and carefully took the wooden pentagonal box with a strange symbol on the front of it. She remembered wanting to do better and do something to be able to somehow correct her mistakes of the past and this could be the way. Lila hesitantly looked at the box before stashing it in her school bag for safekeeping.

“Wait! Hold on but…” 

“Don’t worry, we will meet again soon.” The woman gave her a quick nod as a goodbye greeting and turned away to jump up onto the rooftops. Lila was about to call out to the woman again but she had already jumped up onto the rooftops and disappeared. She had no idea what was in store, but Lila figured that it was going to be a long but exciting future ahead of her as she left the alleyway and continued her merry way to school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, that's it! I debated on whether I should make a sequel, but I've decided not to. 
> 
> WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 AHEAD! 
> 
> I recently just watched the new promos for season 4 and thought it was really cool that we're going to see a new guardian, Su Han. I also thought back to the new york special and thought it was pretty cool that they introduced a new monk guardian, and added a guardian to my fic to spice it up a little. 
> 
> Again, thanks so much for reading! Hopefully, I'll catch you in my next Mlb fanfic. <3


End file.
